IMSML Website Article 32/2024: Resolution MEPC.366(79) - Invitation to Member States to Encourage Voluntary Cooperation Between the Port and Shipping Sectors to Contribute to Reducing GHG Emissions from Ships

This article is on MEPC.366(79) which is published in Malaysian Shipping Notice MSN 08/2023, published on 31 March 2023. This is a call for port development and activities to facilitate reduction of GHG emissions. The focus is on ship and shoreside / onshore power supply from renewable sources, or alternatively low-carbon and zero carbon fuels to further optimise the sea logistics chain.

Paragraph 1 documents the objectives of this initiative, which encompass regulatory, technical, operational and economic actions for GHG reduction, including the provision of the following:

[1] Onshore power supply (preferably from renewable sources);

[2] Safe and efficient bunkering of alternative low carbon and zero carbon fuels;

[3] Incentives for the promotion of sustainable low carbon and zero carbon shipping;

[4] Support for the optimisation of port calls;

[5] Facilitation of voluntary cooperation through the entire value chain (including ports) to create favourable conditions to reduce GHG emissions from ships that are consistent with International Law (as well as multilateral trade regimes).

Paragraph 2 stipulates that appropriate actions that may be taken include (in verbatim):

[1] Supporting the viability of business cases for ship and in-port renewable power-to-ship solutions and the use of these solutions;

[2] Encouraging cooperation between ports, bunker suppliers, shipping companies and all relevant levels of authority in addressing the supply and availability of alternative low-carbon and zero-carbon fuels, including the legal, regulatory and infrastructural barriers to the efficient and safe handling and bunkering of alternative low-carbon and zero-carbon fuels;

[3] Promoting incentive schemes that address GHG emissions and sustainability of international shipping and encouraging more incentive providers and shipping companies to join these; AND …

[4] Supporting the industry's collective efforts to improve quality and availability of data and develop necessary global digital data standards that would allow reliable and efficient data exchange between ship and shore as well as enhanced slot allocation policies thereby optimizing voyages and port calls and facilitating just-in-time arrival of ships.

The features of this invitation are collaboration, capacity building and sharing of best practices, see Paragraph 3. This could be done through:

[1] Existing IMO capacity building projects, eg GMN, NextGEN Connect and GreenVoyage2050 projects;

[2] IMO’s Global Industry Alliance to Support Low Carbon Carbon Shipping.

Thank you for reading IMSML Website Article 32/2024

Stay tuned for the next IMSML Website Article 33/2024: Resolution MEPC.367(79) - Encouragement of Member States to Develop and Submit Voluntary National Action Plans to Address Ghg Emissions from Ships

Signing-off for today,

Dr Irwin Ooi Ui Joo, LL.B(Hons.)(Glamorgan); LL.M (Cardiff); Ph.D (Cardiff); CMILT

Professor of Maritime and Transport Law

Head of the Centre for Advocacy and Dispute Resolution

Faculty of Law

Universiti Teknologi MARA Shah Alam

Selangor, Malaysia

Tuesday,  11 June 2024

Note that I am the corresponding author for the IMSML Website Articles. My official email address is: uijoo310@uitm.edu.my