Green fuel availability crucial to meet decarbonisation targets - ICS

The success of the IMO's ambition to decarbonise shipping will rest on steady availability of low- and zero-emission fuels in ports around the globe, argued the International Council of Shipping (ICS).

PHOTO: Street view of International Maritime Organization building in Lambeth, London, England. Getty Images

ICS, which represents international shipping companies, submitted a series of suggestions to the apex shipping regulator ahead of its 80th Marine Environment Protection Committee meeting scheduled in July. The IMO is expected to revise its greenhouse gas (GHG) strategy at MEPC 80.

To help narrow the price gap between renewable marine fuels and conventional oil-based fuels, ICS reiterated its earlier call for a "fund and reward" market-based measure to accelerate the use of alternative fuels in shipping.

It also urged the IMO to hold the developing nations accountable for their actions when mapping out the new GHG strategy.

 “A growing number of governments recognise the merit of these industry proposals, but we need to ensure that those developing nations that are still concerned about the impact on their economies, of the small cost additional to marine fuel, can recognise the opportunity that this IMO fund will unlock,” said Simon Bennett, Deputy Secretary General of the ICS.

The US-based non-profit also stressed the importance of developing technologies such as carbon capture and storage to decarbonise shipping. It proposed adopting economic measures and technical standards as means to promote these technologies.

By Konica Bhatt

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