The Japanese government has named the 19 countries backing a controversial package of measures to reduce shipping’s greenhouse-gas emissions.
The list includes a global spread of leading maritime nations and includes Denmark, where the deal got a lukewarm of reception from the nation’s shipping association.
An International Maritime Organization intersessional working group, involving 300 government representatives, agreed the package of measures in a week-long meeting ending Friday.
In a statement made through the Ministry of Land Infrastructure Transport and Tourism (MLIT), Japan said the deal would surpass the IMO’s target to reduce the carbon intensity of shipping by 40% by 2030.
The meeting adopted Japan’s proposal that an energy efficiency index for existing ships, known as EEXI, should be introduced.
The EEXI standards would mirror those in place for newbuildings under the current Energy Efficiency Design Index.
Under the initiative, individual ship’s energy efficiency will be categorised between A and E with D and E rated ships falling outside the minimum standard and required to take corrective action.
Japan wanted ships that did not comply with the required standard to be forced to adopt an improvement plan while European countries demanded “stricter penalties”.
Japan’s MLIT said 18 other countries backed its idea and got the proposal carried through to November’s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) where further refinements will take place. The MEPC meeting is also expected to begin preparations to include the measures in the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (Marpol).
Japan said that the deal had “overwhelming majority support”.
The MLIT said the proposal’s other backers were South Korea, China, Singapore, Malaysia, India, Italy, Cyprus, Croatia, Spain, Denmark, Germany, France, Norway, the United Arab Emirates, Ghana, Nigeria, Canada and the Bahamas.
The International Shipping Council also supported the deal the MLIT said.
The Marshall Islands — one of the world’s largest ship registers, and a country which has been severely impacted by climate change — is among the nations unhappy with the deal not going far enough, TradeWinds understands.
Shipowners’ association Danish Shipping has said the deal “does not bring much joy”.
Maria Skipper Schwenn, director of safety, environment and maritime research at the organisation, said: "Unfortunately, the IMO's member states were unable to deliver the goods this time.”
