1
FROM THE EDITOR
JUMP ON THE CAROUSEL OR GET LEFT BEHIND
Ian Cochran Editor, Clean Shipping International
The de-carbonisation timeline is definitely now in play. Pressure is increasing all round. As we have mentioned before, stakeholders now tend to be split into separate ‘camps’, each of which claims to offer a road to redemption. However, the first ‘elephants in the room’ to be faced by vessel owners and operators are the IMO’s energy efficiency existing ship index (EEXI) and the carbon intensity indicator (CII). If the EEXI is ratified at the IMO’s 76th Marine Environment Pollution Committee (MEPC 76) meeting as seems likely, scheduled to be held remotely between 10-17th June, it will enter into force on 1st January, 2023. DNV has estimated that 80% of ships will require some investment to meet EEXI, as most machinery will need ‘tweeking’ to make the regulation. EEXI compliance won’t necessarily improve a vessel’s CII rating, or achieve wider commercial benefits, experts say. Success will only be achieved by considering all potential improvement measures, not just those required to meet EEXI. The class society warned owners to explore hydrodynamic, mechanical, electrical and operational efficiencies, as well have one eye looking for alternative fuels to choose the right pathway for each individual vessel. Then there are other things to worry about, such as the potential Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) in Europe as part of the EU Green Deal. In addition, goal-based de-carbonisation R&D will be crucial to help more shippers and owners to take carbon into consideration. At least the US has seemed to acknowledged that the IMO is the right forum to tackle this debate, as the US’ special envoy for climate change, John Kerry, recently urged the body to adopt a zero emissions target by 2050. And the COP 26 meeting scheduled for Glasgow in November is likely to put even more pressure on the IMO. You know that things are getting serious when the UK has announced that shipping is to be included in the sixth carbon budget for the first time.
C L E A N S H I P P I N G INTERNATIONAL – Summer 2021
CARBON NEUTRAL
Many companies worldwide have publicly stated that they are aiming to become carbon neutral by a certain date. There are now too many for this to be considered just a publicity stunt. Be sure more will follow. There is no shortage of organisations and companies willing to give advice on how to achieve zero carbon emissions. Illustrating the point was the forming of the Maritime Technologies Forum (MTF) by seven organisations worldwide. They said in their publicity blurb that the idea was to bridge the gap between technology knowledge and regulatory process. MTF’s founding members included American Bureau of Shipping (ABS); DNV; Japan’s Maritime Bureau, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT); Lloyd’s Register (LR), Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (ClassNK); the Norwegian Maritime Authority (NMA) and the UK’s Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA). The forum’s key focus areas will include energy efficiency, alternative fuels and increasing levels of autonomy.
INSIGHTS SHARED
MTF’s work will be published, and members will share insight and guidance with, and invite contributions from others in the marine industry, the announcement said. There is certainly no lack of expertise here and let us hope the industry listens and takes heed of the advice dished out. We’ve managed to get near the end without mentioning the pandemic. One positive theme to emerge from more than a year in various stages of lockdown, depending on your viewpoint, is the shear number of webinars and meetings that are being held today, most of which are aimed at finding alternative fuels and increasing efficiency. These hour or so long remote meetings enable key stakeholders to get their message across from their sofas. This alone will reduce their carbon footprint and that of the transport systems.
