International Chamber of Shipping backs emission reporting, but that's all

THE International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) has reiterated its support for the development of a global system of monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) of green house gases from ships, but that is as far as it goes.

ICS support for the UN's International Maritime Organisation plan depends on making it simple, based on fuel consumption and that it not become a compulsory market-based scheme of mandatory energy indexing for all ships.

"ICS is very concerned by the recent proposal by the European Commission (EC) to be put before the European Parliament, for a regulation mandating a regional system," said ICS chairman Masamichi Morooka. 

The ICS board agreed in London recently that it will respond constructively to the US proposal submitted to the IMO that will be debated at the next IMO meeting in April, reports London's Tanker Operator.

"While the EC has stated that it would prefer to see the development of a global system by IMO, we are unclear whether the commission is sincere, or how the development of a regional mechanism, which also seems overly complex, can be reconciled with what we hope can be developed and adopted internationally," Mr Morooka said.

"We agreed the immediate priority for ICS is to prepare a global industry position that can be taken by shipowners to the IMO. To support a global regulatory framework and the development of a mechanism that is acceptable, we want to help IMO make progress," he said.

"Our members firmly believe that it is possible for IMO to develop a robust system of MRV while meeting the concerns of those developing nations that do not wish to compromise their positions at the high level climate change talks," he said in the context of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

In cooperation with the ICS's regional partner, the European Community Shipowners' Associations (ECSA), the ICS is also preparing detailed comments on the EC's proposals, so that EU member states will be clear where shipowners stand.