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NEWS ROUND-UP
How quickly the industry has been responding to the need for change to tackle environmental issues is just one topic on the agenda in recent months
TAKING DIRECT ACTION Speaking at the UK Chamber of Shipping annual dinner recently, Chamber President John Denholm called on the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to take more decisive action to cut emissions from the international shipping industry. “I acknowledge the progress that IMO has made in mitigating greenhouse gas emissions from the industry through technical measures, but the game has changed. It is no longer about mitigating emissions – it is about eliminating them and eliminating them by 2050. “If we are to achieve this, we need that market-based measure to drive the change and we need it now as the ships we build in 2030 are going to be part of the fleet in 2050,” Denholm told the audience, which included the IMO secretary general Kitack Lim. “Secretary General, in recent months you have talked about what needs to happen and I urge you now to show bravery and leadership and convince everyone of the
urgency – and give us the market-based measure that will drive the change. A market based measure is not about raising revenue – it is about driving change and if the system adopted takes money out of the equation, it is simply going to mean that the cost of the change is going to be greater. “I therefore urge the industry and member states to put aside self interest and help the IMO find a solution that they can implement that will drive the change to net zero.” Denholm also urged UK Shipping Minister Robert Courts not to be tempted to adopt regional measures to help cut emissions. “Because of the lack of progress at IMO, member nations are now losing faith in IMO’s ability to put in place a global measure and are planning to implement their own measures. “Minister, I know it must be tempting to follow the route that Europe is taking to establish a regional Emission Trading Scheme as the money this would raise would help reduce the budget deficit.
C L E A N S H I P P I N G INTERNATIONAL – Spring 2022
