IMO’s new project aims to accelerate uptake of alternative marine fuels
A new IMO project will evaluate the status of low- and zero-carbon ship technologies and marine fuels to help member states implement a revised greenhouse gas (GHG) strategy.
PHOTO: Street view of International Maritime Organisation building in Lambeth, London, England. Getty Images
“The decarbonisation of international shipping is a priority for IMO and by mid-2023, the organisation aims to have in place a revised and strengthened Strategy on Reduction of GHG Emissions from Ships,” writes the IMO.
The project, dubbed “Future Fuels and Technology for Low- and Zero-Carbon Shipping Project” will be launched by IMO's Marine Environment Division and run until 2025.
The project will be split into three phases. In the first phase, a study will be conducted to determine whether low- and zero-carbon marine technologies and fuels are available to meet current and future global bunker demand.
Incentives and regulatory mechanisms will be identified in stage two. These will be aimed at speeding up adoption of alternative fuels and zero-carbon technologies.
Pilot projects will be implemented in the third phase of the project, to facilitate technological cooperation between developed and developing nations, as well as the shipping industry.
Companies require financial support and regulatory clarity to “ramp up the production and reap the cost-reductions” of alternative fuels," Ørsted's chief commercial officer for power-to-X (P2X) James Henry told ENGINE last week.
"Both supply- and demand-side policies are needed to solve the chicken-and-egg situation that the P2X sector is facing today,” Henry said.
In its initial GHG strategy from 2018, the IMO has set an ambition of reducing GHG emissions from international shipping by 50% by 2050, compared with 2008 levels. It is set to revise its GHG strategy this year. Industry experts forecast its decarbonisation goals to be made more stringent in order to be in line with the Paris Climate Agreement.
By Konica Bhatt
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