IMO “mid-term” GHG reduction measures – expert workshop held

An expert workshop has been held at IMO headquarters (4-5 September), to present outcomes and key findings of a comprehensive impact assessment into proposals related to "mid-term" greenhouse gas reduction measures for international shipping.

IMO's Maritime Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 81) in March 2022 agreed an illustration of a possible draft outline of an "IMO net-zero framework" for cutting GHG from shipping, to include a goal-based marine fuel standard regulating the phased reduction of the marine fuel's GHG intensity; and a maritime GHG emissions pricing mechanism(s) to incentivize the transition to net-zero (i.e the "mid-term measures"). 

The Fifth GHG Expert Workshop on the Further Development of the Basket of Mid-term Measures (GHG-EW 5) was organized, at the request of the MEPC, by the IMO Secretariat to advance the further work on developing the basket of mid-term measures.

The comprehensive impact assessment was overseen by a Steering Committee comprised of 32 IMO Member States and observers from 17 Member States and one Associate Member State and 17 observer organizations.

The workshop presented the results of work carried out for almost a year, with 11 formal meetings of the Steering Committee of the comprehensive impact assessment of the basket of candidate mid-term measures, as well as some informal meetings and open dialogues on the assessment of impacts on the fleet and on States of the Organization's candidate mid-term GHG emission reduction measures. The aim was to provide knowledge and understanding of potential impacts on the fleet and on States of various mid-term measures under the approaches related to a fuel standard and an economic mechanism.

Task Leaders of the comprehensive impact assessment presented the outcomes and key findings of the literature review (Task 1), results of the assessment of impacts of the measures on the fleet and on States (Task 2 and 3), and the outcome of the complementary qualitative/quantitative stakeholders' analysis, including relevant illustrative case studies (Task 4). This workshop was an informal meeting aimed at exchanging views and gaining more understanding of the results, inputs, methodologies and assumptions applied by Task Leaders.

The final reports can be found on IMODOCS, under MEPC 82. The reports contain a wealth of information to guide Member States in the further development of the basket of candidate mid-term measures.

The Expert Workshop was attended by more than 300 participants from Member States and international organizations, both in person and remotely, and was moderated by Mr. Hanqiang Tan (Singapore).  

The next session of the Marine Environment Committee (MEPC 82) will be held from 30 September to 4 October 2024, preceded by the Seventeenth Intersessional Working Group on Greenhouse Gas Emissions (ISWG-GHG 17) (23-27 September).