MEPC update

The Third IMO GHG Study 2014 estimates that international shipping emitted 796 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) in 2012, against 885 million tonnes in 2007. This represented 2.2% of the global emissions of CO2 in 2012, against 2.8% in 2007.

However, the ‘business as usual’ scenarios continue to indicate that those emissions are likely to grow by between 50% and 250% in the period to 2050, depending on future economic and energy developments.

The MEPC continued its work on further developing guidelines to support the uniform implementation of the regulations on energy-efficiency for ships.

The committee also adopted amendments to the 2013 Interim Guidelines for determining minimum propulsion power to maintain the manoeuvrability of ships in adverse conditions, to make the guidelines applicable to phase 1 (starting 1 January 2015) of the EEDI requirements.

A correspondence group was established to review the status of technological developments relevant to implementing phase 2 of the EEDI regulatory framework.

Additionally three further amendments to MARPOL were adopted, fuel oil quality proposals were discussed and the draft Polar Code environmental provisions were approved.

By Jake Frith