IMO efficiency rule change could backfire: Bimco

The International Maritime Organization's (IMO's) approval of regulatory changes on CO2 emissions efficiency for seaborne transportation could result in more voyages, shipping association Bimco said.

IMO recently approved regulatory changes to Marpol Annex VI, to measure operational efficiency based on an annual efficiency ratio (AER). The AER is calculated based on the grams of CO2 emitted per deadweight tonne compared against nautical miles travelled. These changes will not be adopted by the industry until discussed at the Marine Environment Protection Committee's 76th session later this year.

Bimco's deputy secretary general Lars Robert Pedersen said that AER favours ballast voyages, and the regulation could push shipowners that have exhausted all other options to consider part loading their vessels to reach the required targets.

Many factors affect a ship's emissions over a voyage, with shipowners employing many options to increase their vessels' efficiency, including alternative fuels such as LNG and trialling technologies such wing sails designed to reduce bunker consumption. Travelling speed can also have a big impact on efficiency.

But the overall load for the voyage can substantially impact fuel consumption and consequently emissions. The more cargo on board a vessel the more the vessel is submerged in the water leading to extra resistance and more fuel consumption. Bimco argues that measuring efficiency by the AER might increase efficiency on a voyage but would decrease the fleet's efficiency to carry cargoes from point A to point B — as less cargo would be transported and more voyages needed as a result.

These amendments will be up for adoption at the Marine Environment Protection Committee's meeting later this year and if adopted will probably enter into force in 2023, Bimco said.

By Nikos Kokolinakis