The International Chamber of Shipping has responded positively to the shipping industry’s new target to decarbonise shipping “at or around” 2050.
As earlier reported, the International Maritime Organization has agreed to target net zero greenhouse gas emissions by around 2050 with intermediary goals set for 2030 and 2040.
ICS deputy secretary general Simon Bennett said shipowners will do “everything possible” to achieve 70% to 80% absolute reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 2040 included in the new target.
But, he said it is critical the IMO adopts its proposal for a carbon emission levy scheme.
“This (target) can only be achieved if the IMO rapidly agrees to a global levy on ships’ GHG emissions to support a ‘fund and reward’ mechanism, as proposed by the industry,” Bennett said.
“We urgently need to reduce the cost gap between conventional and alternative marine fuels and incentivise the production and uptake of new fuels at the scale now required to meet this accelerated transition. 2040 is less than 17 years away and the availability of zero GHG marine fuels today is virtually zero.”
The IMO has commissioned an impact study into the various economic measures that will be finalised next year with adoption of the selected candidate measures in 2025 and enforced in 2027.
Shipping association Bimco also welcomed the deal. Bimco president Nikolaus Schues said: “Bimco is grateful to the IMO member states for setting out in clear terms the pathway the shipping industry needs to follow in order to transition each and every ship in the world fleet to a net zero GHG emission future.”
At the IMO, the new agreement was supported by the US and UK government delegations, even though it fell below their own proposals for emissions reduction.
The US said the agreement sent a “clear signal to all stakeholders of the need to take decisive action”.
The UK said the voyage to zero carbon shipping “begins today”.
Greece said the agreement “showed shipping is ready to contribute its fair share to combatting climate change”.
