Sovcomflot, the Russian maritime shipping company specializing in petroleum and LNG shipping, said that its team has met Kitack Lim, Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
He was met by Sergey Frank, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Sovcomflot and Igor Tonkovidov, President and CEO of Sovcomflot, as well as Alexey Klyavin, President of the Russian Chamber of Shipping.
One of the key issues on the IMO's agenda is mitigating the impact of global shipping on the environment.
The Agency has adopted new, stringent conventional limits for the sulphur content in marine fuels, capping it at 0.5 per cent from 2020 onwards. By 2050, the IMO is also set to reduce permitted CO2 emissions by 50 per cent.
Representatives of Sovcomflot presented the company's successful ‘green shipping’ track record to Mr Lim.
By using cleaner-burning LNG fuel, instead of heavy fuel oil, Sovcomflot’s six ‘Green Funnel’ tankers have reduced their CO2 emissions by 11,400 tonnes between October 2018 and November 2019.
The data accumulated by Sovcomflot from operating these tankers shows that using LNG as a primary fuel achieves a 30 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions, a 94 per cent reduction in nitrous oxide (NOx) emissions, and 100 per cent reduction in both sulphur oxide (SOx) and particulate matter emissions.
Sovcomflot’s representatives emphasised that LNG has good prospects for adoption as a primary fuel for vessels operating in the Arctic.