IMO’s mid-term decarbonization measures should be “simple and effective”, says INTERCARGO

Ahead of this week’s MEPC 80 (Marine Environment Protect Committee) meeting of the IMO, INTERCARGO Secretary General Kostas Gkonis has urged that mid-term measures to help the IMO’s decarbonization ambitions should be both simple and effective, in order to make it easier for ships worldwide to implement them efficiently.

Dr Gkonis was commenting on the IMO’s 15th session of the Intersessional Working Group on the Reduction of GHG Emissions from Ships in support of the paper submitted by ICS “ISWG-GHG 15/3/7 – Further information about a basket of measures combining an IMSF&R (Fund and Reward) mechanism (economic measure) and a Global (GHG) Fuel Standard (technical measure)”.

INTERCARGO represents the dry bulk sector. Gkonis said that INTERCARGO had itself done much to support measures to decarbonize the industry and achieve net zero emission shipping by 2050.

Gkonis noted that INTERCARGO was a frontrunner along with the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) in proposing a levy-based MBM, per tonne of CO2 emissions, to expedite the uptake and deployment of zero-carbon fuels.

“Since then, our Association has consistently supported in principle the revised proposals aptly developed by the industry body, the International Chamber of Shipping,” he said.

“On this occasion, INTERCARGO reiterates the importance that the basket of mid-term measures should be both simple and effective, so as to be efficiently implemented by ships worldwide.

“In this respect we express our support for the revised International Maritime Sustainability Fund & Reward mechanism, including the establishment of an IMO Maritime Sustainability Fund as in paper ISWG-GHG 15/3/7 by ICS and its combination with a simpler design of the Global GHG Fuel Standard, a technical measure as in document ISWG-GHG 15/3/6 again by ICS.”

While INTERCARGO said that it supported fully the IMO’s ambition to achieve net zero emission shipping by 2050, it stressed that the responsibility for decarbonization could not be placed solely on the shoulders of the ship operator; it was a challenge that had to be dealt with holistically by the entire supply chain.
https://www.intercargo.org/media-release-dont-regulate-shipping-in-isolation/

Source: Insurance Marine News 3rd July 2023