The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) is currently meeting at the IMO Headquarters in London to discuss the adoption of the Initial GHG strategy – a global plan for reducing emissions in the maritime and shipping industry.
The Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 72) is currently in session (April 9-13, 2018), working on the sector-wide adoption of the strategy, which will act as a framework for all Member States to set out the guiding principles and vision of the future for international shipping with reduced GHG emissions.
From January 1, 2020, the IMO hopes to limit the ratio of sulphur in fuel oil for shipping – reducing it to 0.50% m/m (mass by mass).
Read our latest technical paper focusing on environmental issues in the industry, “Green Shipping to the Fore”
The limit is set to reduce the amount of sulphur oxides released by ships that cause major damage to the environment – ship fuel currently contains 3,500 times more sulphur that common car diesel, making it the most toxic and polluting fuel used today.
The committee is also expected to approve amendments that prohibit ships from carrying non-complaint fuels (barring specific exemptions to ships equipped with measures such as exhaust gas cleaning systems).
Also included on the meeting’s agenda is the implementation of the Ballast Water Management (BWM) Convention, which requires ships to manage their ballast water to ensure that potentially invasive aquatic species are not allowed to spread.
