Environment
All forms of environmental impact from maritime activities are important to OCIMF. However, there are two areas which are subject to greater attention by the regulators.
Air Emissions
Ships move approximately 80% of the world’s goods. When compared to other forms of transportation, marine shipping is the most energy-efficient way to move large volumes of cargo. Therefore, shipping is essential to the world’s economy and well-being but it is also a contributor to global air emissions. Without action, the industry’s emissions are expected to increase. These emissions can harm human health and our environment. New regulations and practical initiatives are planned or are in force to reduce the amount of air pollution produced by ships which include CO2, NOx, Sox and PM.
Greenhouse Gas Emissions
The share of shipping emissions has increased from 2.76% in 2012 to 2.89% in 2018, according to the 4th IMO GHG study. CO2 emissions have also increased over this same period from 701 million tonnes in 2012 to 740 million tonnes in 2018 (5.6% increase). The IMO’s initial GHG strategy represents a significant ambition for the shipping sector. It sets a GHG reduction pathway of at least 50% by 2050, based on a 2008 baseline, with a strong emphasis on reducing by 100% by 2050 if this can be shown to be possible. This is a clear signal of the industry’s commitment to reduce GHG emissions from international shipping. Additionally, IMO has introduced a three-phased approach for reduction of GHG’s from shipping: short term – through strengthening existing regulations, mid-term – introducing new design criteria and operational efficiency standards index for each vessel to optimize operations, reviewing market based measures including methodology for measuring carbon intensity of fuels, and in the longer term, supporting penetration of new alternative technologies and greener fuels with stringent design requirements to achieve net-zero.
OCIMF continues to take an active role in the industry and at the IMO to help find solutions to these challenges. We will play a leading role in ensuring that global regulations are designed in a way that will help reduce these emissions whilst ensuring safety.
