Drawing battle lines over shipping and CO2 emissions the Port of Rotterdam is calling on the European Parliament to put pressure on the IMO to produce an ambitious worldwide target.
While shipowner organisations have railed the European Parliament Environment Committee’s vote to include shipping in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) by 2023 unless the IMO takes timely action, Europe’s largest port advocates including shipping in the ETS by 2023 if the measures taken by the sector are not sufficient enough.
Allard Castelein, ceo of the Port of Rotterdam Authority, said that given recent plans would only see measures by 2023 at the earliest they were “Far too late” and “The plans are not challenging enough”.
The Port of Rotterdam Authority believes concrete plans for reducing CO2 emissions from shipping can start from 2018 by implementing short and medium term measures, and called on EU member states to pressure on the IMO.
“We are prepared to make a supportive contribution to the implementation of measures, for example through the Environmental Ship Index or by separate initiation of an initiative aimed specifically at greenhouse gases,” said Castelein.
Copyright Ships & Ports Ltd. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit given to www.shipsandports.com.ng as the source.
