The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) has concluded its Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 78) meeting, taking, in the view of the shipping industry, only small steps towards decarbonising the sector.
Meanwhile, IMO’s MEPC has reiterated its commitment to review and strengthen the IMO Initial Strategy on the reduction of GHG emissions from shipping, with a view to adopting a revised strategy in mid-2023.
Worlf Maritime News report that the agreement to establish the International Maritime Research Board (IMRB) and the proposed $5 billion International Maritime Research Fund (IMRF) was not achieved at MEPC 78.
The adoption of the industry-financed and IMO-led R&D fund has been seen as a key step to accelerating the development of technologies for zero-carbon shipping.
Under the proposal made in 2019, the core funding would be collected over a ten-year period via a mandatory $2 R&D contribution per tonne of fuel oil purchased for consumption. The fund would be supervised by the IMO.
