Measures to reduce CO2 emissions should be introduced globally and should apply equally to the whole shipping industry, according to the European Community Shipowners’ Association (ECSA).
“We believe that shipping, together with all other industry sectors, must be part of the solution to limit the increase in global temperature,” said ECSA President, Niels Smedegaard, addressing a symposium on decarbonisation of shipping held in Antwerp. “The overall goal must be a global agreement for maritime emissions, which the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) is moving towards.”
Smedegaard commented that the European Union had shown leadership by adopting the Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) regulation for CO2 emissions of shipping. He added that focus should now be on ensuring the proper implementation of the regulation and ensuring that it is aligned with the IMO data collection system – which will be formalised in October this year.
The European Commission has not included shipping in its current review of the European Emissions Trading System.
