Technical co-operation and transfer of technology

Regulation 29 (Promotion of technical co-operation and transfer of technology relating to the improvement of energy efficiency of ships) of chapter 4 of MARPOL Annex VI requires Administrations, in cooperation with the Organization and other international bodies, to promote and provide, as appropriate, support directly or through IMO to Member States, especially developing States that request technical assistance.  It also requires the Administration of a Party to MARPOL Annex VI to co-operate actively with other Parties, subject to its national laws, regulations and policies, to promote the development and transfer of technology and exchange of information to States which request technical assistance, particularly developing States. 

Linked to the implementation of energy efficiency measures, MEPC 65 (May 2013) adopted resolution MEPC.229(65) on Promotion of technical co-operation and transfer of technology relating to the improvement of energy efficiency of ships, which, among other things, requests the IMO, through its various programmes, to provide technical assistance to Member States to enable cooperation in the transfer of energy efficient technologies to developing countries in particular; and further assist in the sourcing of funding for capacity building and support to States, in particular developing States, which have requested technology transfer. 

An overview of activities undertaken by the Secretariat in response to resolution MEPC.229(65) on Promotion of technical cooperation and transfer of technology relating to the improvement of energy efficiency of ships and IMO GHG Strategies, adopted in 2013 can be found here.

Please send an update on the effective implementation of resolution MEPC.229(65) here

Adoption of the Initial IMO Strategy on reduction of GHG emissions from ships

In April 2018, MEPC 72 adopted resolution MEPC.304(72) on the Initial IMO Strategy on reduction of GHG emissions from ships (download here).

The Strategy recognizes that developing countries, in particular LDCs and SIDS, have special needs with regard to capacity-building and technical cooperation, and the Organization was requested to assess periodically the provision of financial and technological resources and capacity-building to implement the Strategy through the IMO's Integrated Technical Cooperation Programme (ITCP) and other initiatives including the GloMEEP project and the MTCC network.

In May 2019, IMO established a voluntary multi-donor trust fund (IMO Multi-donor GHG Trust Fund), to provide a dedicated source of financial support for technical cooperation and capacity building activities to support the implementation of the Initial IMO Strategy on reduction of GHG emissions from ships.  

Also in May 2019, IMO adopted resolution MEPC.323(74), which encourages voluntary cooperation between shipping and port sectors to contribute to reducing GHG emissions from ships. The resolution highlights several areas in which action should be encouraged which include, but are not limited to, the provision of: (1) Onshore Power Supply (preferably from renewable sources); (2) safe and efficient bunkering of alternative low-carbon and zero-carbon fuels; (3) incentives promoting sustainable low-carbon and zero-carbon shipping; and (4) improving quality and availability of data for optimizing voyages and port calls and facilitating Just In Time Arrivals of ships.

Overview of relevant initatives supporting the reduction of GHG emissions from ships 

The Technical Cooperation and Implementation Division (TCID) of IMO also continues to deliver regional and national workshops, as well as other capacity building activities, in various regions to support the effective implementation and enforcement of IMO's measures to address emissions from international shipping. Furthermore,  it is also implementing a series of Major Projects, providing support to SIDs and LDCs to reduce emissions in ships and ports, thereby supporting implementation of the Initial IMO Strategy on reduction of GHG emissions from ships.  

The GreenVoyage2050 Project is a partnership project between the Government of Norway and IMO aiming to transform the shipping industry towards a lower carbon future.  Green Voyage 2050 project (approximately $7.1 million, 2019-2023) is currently supporting countries to undertake assessments of maritime emissions in the national context, develop policy frameworks and National Action Plans (NAPs) to address GHG emissions from ships, and draft legislation to implement MARPOL Annex VI into national law. Partnering countries are also supported in identifying and implementing of low- and zero-carbon pilot projects on board ships and in ports. Phase 1 of the project is expected to terminate in December 2023 and a new phase envisioned to ensure that efforts can be further continued both in relation to scaled-up pilot projects and NAP development. In September 2023, Phase 2 of the IMO GreenVoyage2050 project was signed with the Government of Norway. Under Phase 2 of the project, partner countries will be eligible for increased funding for pilot projects, notably those that can catalyse the uptake of energy efficient technologies and support countries in exploring opportunities for the production and provision of low-and zero-carbon fuels, linking the project even further to the global energy transition. Germany, Finland, France and the Kingdom of the Netherlands have already further supported the project through additional financial contributions. 

Global Maritime Technologies Cooperation Centres (MTCC) Network (GMN) project (approximately $11 million, 2016-2022) established five MTCCs in China (MTCC Asia), Fiji (MTCC Pacific), Kenya (MTCC Africa), Panama (MTCC Latin America) and Trinidad and Tobago (MTCC Caribbean). Plans are now being finalized for a GMN Phase II project for the five MTCCs to continue their work to support maritime decarbonization in the respective regions and to be linked to other IMO projects and initiatives. Phase II is to pay particular attention to the delivery of smaller scale (for example, ships retrofitting) pilot demonstration projects, with a focus on the needs of developing countries, in particular LDCs and SIDS.

The GloFouling Partnerships project (approximately $7 million, 2018-2025) is part of the wider efforts by IMO, in collaboration with UNDP and GEF, to improve biofouling management and protect marine ecosystems from the negative effects of invasive aquatic species . By supporting the implementation of the IMO 2011 Guidelines for the control and management of ships' biofouling to minimize the transfer of invasive aquatic species, this project also contributes to the reduction of GHG emissions from ships. The project has developed and published in 2022 a study entitled Analysing the Impact of Marine Biofouling on the Energy Efficiency of Ships and the GHG Abatement Potential of Biofouling Management Measures.

The GHG-SMART Programme (Sustainable Maritime Transport Training Programme to Support the Implementation of the GHG Strategy) project ($2.5 million, 2020-2025), funded by the Republic of Korea, is a training programme to support the implementation of the Initial IMO Strategy on Reduction of GHG Emissions from Ships by developing capacity in LDCs and SIDS. This is a series of annual training programmes consisting of comprehensive training online, followed by individual training plans, and a practical training and study visit, combined with an opportunity for two trainees (one female and one male) to further benefit from a World Maritime University (WMU) scholarship.

The IMO CARES (Coordinated Actions to Reduce Emissions from Shipping) Foundation Project, project (approximately $1.5 million, 2022-2024), funded by Saudi Arabia, started its implementation phase in early 2023, with the ultimate objective to help link the global North and global South for the identification and trial of ready for market technology solutions, technology transfer, technology diffusion and uptake activities, pilot demonstration projects and green financing initiatives. This project will assist the maritime sector in developing countries in their transition towards a low-carbon future with key involvement of the MTCCs at a regional level.

The Future Fuels and Technology for Low- and Zero-carbon Shipping Project (FFT project) (approximately $1.2 million, 2022-2024) is a partnership project between the Republic of Korea and IMO, designed to support GHG reduction from international shipping by providing technical analysis to the Organization in support of policy discussions held in the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC).

The IMO-UNEP-Norway Innovation Forum (approximately $650,000, 2020-2023) identified as championing innovation to accelerate the transition of the marine sector towards a zero- and low-emission future. Its aim is to promote innovation by providing a global platform to exchange best practices and fill necessary gaps by gathering ideas and latest developments from all competent international policy makers. 

The IMO-EBRD-World Bank co-led Financing Sustainable MaritimeTransport (FIN-SMART) Roundtable initiative has been providing a platform among Member State representatives, international financial institutions, representatives of private banks and other key maritime stakeholders to identify maritime decarbonization investment risks, opportunities and potential financial solutions and innovative financial instruments to address financing needs and investment opportunities in developing countries, in particular LDCs and SIDS.

The NextGEN (Green and Efficient Navigation) portal, which was launched by IMO and the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) in September 2021, is an online platform to support information sharing and collaboration on decarbonization initiatives and projects in the field of maritime, presenting an opportunity to provide an online platform of collaboration across the maritime value chain. The next phase of the NextGEN initiative was launched in 2022 as the NextGEN Connect Project, the new phase of which supports a pilot route-based action in the Asia-Pacific region to reduce emissions from international shipping.

For more information on IMO's Major Projects:  https://www.imo.org/en/OurWork/PartnershipsProjects/Pages/default.aspx