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New Energy World
New Energy World embraces the whole energy industry as it connects and converges to address the decarbonisation challenge. It covers progress being made across the industry, from the dynamics under way to reduce emissions in oil and gas, through improvements to the efficiency of energy conversion and use, to cutting-edge initiatives in renewable and low carbon technologies.
Is the maritime industry’s approach to GHG emissions fuzzy for future regulations?
1/5/2024
8 min read
As shipping strives to cut greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, a raft of regulatory changes are on the horizon. But do they fudge the complex issue of maritime emissions reduction, asks Eirik Nyhus, Vice President, Director Environment, DNV, who outlines what lies ahead.
With a sharp uptick in the volume of GHG emissions regulations, an increasingly complex and fragmented regulatory landscape lies ahead for the maritime industry. The European Union’s (EU) regional Emissions Trading System (ETS) has been expanded to cover ships from 2024, and the FuelEU Maritime regulation will kick in from 2025. Meanwhile, the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) is in the process of developing new international regulations that are expected to enter into force in 2027, building on the revised GHG strategy that was adopted in 2023.
The IMO is the prime international regulator of the shipping industry. Within this, the IMO’s Marine Environmental Protection Committee (MEPC) is responsible for general environmental regulations, including the crafting of specific GHG regulations.
The GHG work saw a crucial breakthrough in July 2023 at the 80th MEPC meeting (MEPC 80), when the initial 2018 GHG strategy was tightened to aim for net zero GHG emissions by 2050, with additional emissions reductions targets for 2030 and 2040 of 20% and 70% respectively, compared to 2008 levels.
Strategic targets are now on a ‘well-to-wake’ basis rather than the previous ‘tank-to-wake’ basis, which means that the GHG footprint associated with fuel production is now set to become part and parcel of the regulatory requirements for ships. There is also a sub-target for 2030 of a minimum 5% uptake of ‘zero or near-zero GHG technologies, fuels and/or energy sources’.