11 December 2023 (Llloyd's List) - ARSENIO Dominguez, the incoming secretary-general of the IMO, said he will work “tirelessly” to bring member states on board to deliver on the UN specialised organisation’s new targets, adding that he will ask for some member states to support countries that are most vulnerable to climate change.
Dominguez said during COP28 that the International Maritime Organization has not stopped working since adopting the revised greenhouse gas strategy in July, adding that they are working on the comprehensive impact assessment for technical and economic measures that they will adopt in 2025.
“We are fuel and technology agnostic. The rules are not there to limit innovation, but to actually foster it. And what we need as well is the input from the industry. You now have a clear vision of where we’re going,” he said at ICS’ Shaping the Future of Shipping conference at COP28.
Dominguez said the IMO is working on carbon capture guidelines, as he said the transition required all the available options to reach net zero goals.
“We are working on safety the aspects of this transition as well. We will not leave the seafarers out of this equation. But we also need the support from the industry and the member states in order to help us to bring the seafarers on board to listen to what they have to say.”
There is not a silver bullet decarbonisation solution for shipping companies that operate in multiple segments such as MSC, according to Bud Darr, the company’s executive vice-president, maritime policy and government affairs.
“One size isn't going to get fit all. And although from a shipowners perspective, it would just be great if we could say the answer is one fuel. We’d all go out and just do it. I don’t think there will be enough volume in the timelines that we need, if it was just one fuel though,” Darr said.
The IMO will publish an interim report on its comprehensive impact assessment of candidate technical and economic measures in March 2024 to be discussed at the Marine Environment Protection Committee 81.
Member states had agreed to adopt mid-term measures that could include a flat rate levy or a fund and rebate mechanism in 2025 as well as a technical measure that will be a global fuel standard. Both measures will enter into force in 2027.
