The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) has criticised moves at the EU to mandate Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) of CO2 emissions regionally, ahead of global IMO measures.
ICS said in a press statement that it is “disappointed and concerned” at the move, set for formal adoption early next year, which would require all vessels, both EU and non-EU, to monitor their carbon emissions in EU waters after implementation in 2018.
The body indicates that while it supports a global IMO-mandated MRV system, the EU’s regional regime may be incompatible with the IMO’s system, jeopardising future negotiations and causing major problems for “developing countries such as China and India for whom additional CO2 regulations are a politically sensitive issue.”
ICS alluded to “suspicion” that EU’s intention is to establish a mandatory operational Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) which could be used to impose financial penalties on vessels “regardless of their actual fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.” A previous EU MRV target, including a 2009 estimate for a possible 75% reduction in shipping emissions, was last year criticised by ICS as
“Shipping is a global industry requiring global regulation. ICS can see no reason why the EU needs to finalise this regional Regulation so quickly when it will not be implemented until 2018,” said the group.
“The fact that IMO has already adopted a mandatory global regime of technical and operational measures to reduce shipping’s CO2 emissions – which entered into force in 2013 as a result of amendments to the MARPOL Convention – demonstrates that the UN body is eminently capable of developing a global CO2 data collection system.”
ICS Secretary General Peter Hinchliffe remarked: “If the negotiations at IMO are to succeed it will be incumbent on the EU Member States to explain that they are acting in good faith and that the outcome at IMO will be the product of a genuine global consensus achieved through negotiation rather than as a result of a pre-existing unilateral regional arrangement.”
It is far from the first of ICS’ criticism of regional EU maritime legislation, which have included the 0.1% Northern-Europe sulphur cap, proposed EU recycling levy and French CO2 reporting requirements. The group hit out at accusations that IMO is “too slow” as “unfounded and rather unfair” in June.
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