BIMCO has shared the two critical issues at the top of its own priority list ahead of the IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) meeting next week.
These are: (1) approving a mandatory data collection system for fuel used on ships in international trade and (2) tangible progress on the revision of the G8 guidelines for approval of ballast water management systems – to address the concerns that surround IMO’s Ballast Water Convention coming into force in the near future.
The data collection system is a necessary first step in IMO’s agreed 3-step process on further greenhouse gas actions for shipping.
The three steps will be: (1) collection of data on fuel use – for which a system needs to be approved, (2) determining how much CO2 the shipping industry may emit and (3) establishing further measures to reduce emissions, if needed, and what they should be.
Lars Robert Pedersen, BIMCO’s Deputy Secretary General, commented: “Knowing how much CO2 is emitted by ships is crucial before beginning a detailed discussion and reaching future agreement on emission targets. The data on emissions – in combination with a target – is needed to determine if and what further measures are needed by the marine industry.”
BIMCO wishes to see the MEPC finalise the revision of the G8 guidelines – which are not yet adequate for IMO approved systems to consistently meet the requirements of the Ballast Water Convention.
The revised guidelines are urgently needed by manufacturers, shipowners and regulators to realise the ambitions of the Ballast Water Convention. Pedersen commented: “The shipping industry needs reliable ballast water treatment systems that are fit for global use.”
“Presently, IMO approved systems may not always live up to the required standards under real operating conditions onboard ships, and no such systems are presently available that are approved to the much more stringent USCG approval standard.”