This week Secretary-General Kitack Lim (center) & Maritime Safety Division Director Heike Deggim (far left) received IAPH's Patrick Verhoeven (second left) & Port of Long Beach Executive Director Mario Cordero & MD of Planning and Environmental Affairs Heather Tomley at the IMO headquarters in London

With the main outcomes of MEPC 80 now announced following two weeks of intense negotiations conducted at the committee meeting as well as at the intercessional working group the week before at the IMO headquarters in London, IAPH welcomes the agreement reached, notably having all countries aligned at this juncture. IAPH Managing Director Patrick Verhoeven, who accompanied IAPH colleagues as well as several IAPH member ports at both meetings commented:

“IAPH has closely followed the intercessional running up to MEPC80 as well as the committee meeting itself and submitted a call with others for an economic measure which would close the gap in pricing between hydrocarbon and low and zero carbon fuels. Such a measure would also assist in funding very necessary investments in research and development to accelerate the energy transition of shipping as well as potentially supporting the vital port infrastructure investments to guarantee the supply of those new fuels, particularly in developing countries that will otherwise be marginalized.”

IAPH will continue to press ahead with the ports resolution previously adopted by the IMO in 2019 encouraging voluntary cooperation between the port and shipping sectors to contribute to reducing GHG emissions from ships. One of the key identified actions is the safe and efficient bunkering of alternative low-carbon and zero-carbon fuels in ports, with the recent release of new tools such as bunkering checklists. Other initiatives include technical capacity building, particularly in developing countries, on onshore power capabilities through the IMO-Norway GreenVoyage2050 initiative, and through the IMO Global Industry Alliance and the Taskforce International Port Call Optimization to reduce emissions through the standardization of ship-shore communications.

Patrick Verhoeven concluded: “In just under a fortnight I will be in Goa at the 14th Clean Energy Ministerial summit alongside the International Chamber of Shipping to support their Clean Energy Marine Hubs initiative which aims to de-risk investments and transform the maritime-energy supply chain in an equitable manner. IRENA estimates that around 50% of future low and zero-carbon fuels produced for the world will need to be transported by ship from producing to importing countries. IAPH intends to play an integral role in providing support to ICS and governments to kickstart the investments in port infrastructure to close the gaps between fossil fuels and the new fuels not just to bunker ships, but to transport the new energy to future users.”