London-based Greek Shipping Cooperation Committee (GSCC) is pushing for urgent development of low carbon fuels to meet planned greenhouse gas emissions for shipping.
GSCC chairman, Haralambos J Fafalios, said shipbuilders, engine manufacturers, fuel suppliers and legislators should “urgently increase research and development efforts” to develop “plentiful” low-carbon fuels.
Short-term measures such as slow-steaming “require further study” before they can be considered as a viable solution, he said. In the GSCC’s view, they do not seem realistic for container ships, gas carriers and car carriers but they could help tramp shipping meet short-term greenhouse gas reduction targets.
“Our industry will do its best to reduce GHG emissions through short, medium and long-term measures, but we need full co-operation from the other participants and especially to develop plentiful low carbon fuels suitable for worldwide shipping,” said Fafalios.
Commenting on the 2020 sulphur cap and a feared shortage of compliant fuels when new regulations enter in force, Fafalios urged the IMO, governments, companies, refiners and bunker suppliers to be “flexible enough to deal with any bottleneck to avoid any dislocation of world trade”.