The World Shipping Council (WSC) has submitted three greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction proposals to the IMO in advance of the International Maritime Organisation's meeting in December.
The WSC has proposed reducing the number of steps in the GHG Fuel Standard (GFS) goals, developing an IMO Green Corridors Programme, and using a well-to-wake lifecycle assessment for benchmarking emissions.
The GFS is a mid-term measure proposed by a group of European countries in March aimed at establishing a measure of GHG intensity in marine fuels. It would require ships above a certain size to use fuels that have a GHG intensity below an agreed upon level. This level would be reduced six times — every five years — between 2020 and 2050, but the WSC wants to limit these steps to two or three.
In order to benchmark GHG intensity the WSC also proposes that the IMO avoid the Carbon Intensity Indicator in favour of a well-to-wake life-cycle analysis metric. This will avoid favouring fuels with low tank-to-wake emission levels, but higher life-cycle emissions.
The WSC also proposed establishing a Green Corridors Programme that connect ports by the development of green ships and fuel infrastructure on specific routes. This draws on COP 26's Clydebank Declaration, which sought to decarbonise maritime routes between partner ports through green shipping corridors. Partnerships have already been announced between Rotterdam and Singapore, as well as Los Angeles and Shanghai.
The IMO's 79th meeting of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 79) is scheduled for 12-16 December. A series of mid-term measures for the reduction of GHG emissions are waiting to be decided on at the IMO. Countries made little progress at MEPC 78 because of clear divisions over goals and work on mid to long-term measures was postponed for later meetings.
