Sustainability

It must be recognised that shipping is a contributor to, and not the total cause of pollution in the world. However, commercial shipping contributes to significant global emissions

The fourth International Maritime Organisation (IMO) study GHG Study 2020 estimated that total shipping emitted 1,056 million tonnes of CO2 in 2018, accounting for about 2.89% of the total global anthropogenic CO2 emissions for that year, and that under a voyage based allocation method, the share of international shipping represented 740 million tonnes of CO2 in 2018.
According to a range of plausible long-term economic and energy business-as-usual scenarios, emissions could represent 90-130% of 2008 emissions by 2050 (IMO 2020).

In April 2018, the IMO adopted a strategy to reduce GHG emissions from international shipping to align the sector with Paris Agreement climate goals through supporting new and advanced technologies through the regulatory framework. The strategy proposes to cut absolute GHG emissions by at least 50% by 2050.

As a result, the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) has since been actively engaged with key maritime stakeholders to coordinate industry partnerships with a focus on significantly reducing emissions through supporting the research and development of innovative technologies, which include but are not limited to improving fuel efficiency through maximising anti—fouling with a key focus on more effective hull maintenance.

In addition to reducing emissions, more effective hull maintenance technologies will also reduce traditional pollutants from leeching into the marine environment, and through minimising fouling on commercial vessels, it will also reduce ecological contamination of invasive species travelling from different jurisdictions.

The IMO states that ecological contamination of marine species presents one of the greatest existing threats to our marine environment.

• The Paris Agreement
• The EU Green Deal
• IMO Guidelines for the control and management of ships bio-fouling
• IMO Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) and Ship Energy Efficiency Management Plan (SEEMP)
• The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea
• UNEP Regional Seas Conventions;
• Barcelona Convention for the Protection of the Mediterranean Sea Against Pollution
• The Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum (APEC)
• The Secretariat of the Pacific Region Environment Program (SPREP)
• IMO CARES (Coordinated Actions to Reduce Emissions from Shipping Initiative)