International Chamber of Shipping’s statement following the closing of the International Maritime Organization’s 17th meeting of the Intersessional Working Group on Reduction of GHG Emissions from Ships

The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) is pleased that progress has been made over the past week but much more needs to be done. We are committed to working with Member States over the coming days and months to ensure a transparent, equitable and workable solution is agreed to deliver on the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) decarbonisation strategy.

Positively the concept of a universal GHG contribution by ships per tonne of CO2e emitted remains firmly on the table, with strong support from a clear majority of IMO Member States. There is broad agreement, as advocated by the shipping industry, about the need to reduce the cost gap with conventional marine fuel oil to incentivise a rapidly accelerated uptake of zero/near-zero GHG fuels, so that achievement of net zero emissions by or close to 2050 remains plausible and possible.

Notwithstanding this strong support for a universal GHG contribution or something similar, ICS acknowledges the legitimate questions about this form of maritime GHG emissions pricing mechanism among some governments such as China and Brazil.

When these complex negotiations resume at IMO next week, ICS will continue to work with governments on all sides of the debate to find a workable solution that can enjoy broad consensus support when the package of new GHG reduction regulations for international shipping is approved by IMO next year.

Notes to editors

About ICS 

The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) is the principal international trade association for merchant shipowners and operators, representing all sectors and trades and over 80% of the world’s merchant fleet – www.ics-shipping.org.