IMO Completes Final Review of Ship Emissions

This week’s meeting in London has the IMO working hard to finalize its ship emissions regulation to reduce CO2 gases. Perhaps, via a fuel tax, or emissions trading regime.


One of the concerns of IMO is whether the shipping industry will be grouped into the United Nations’ global emissions trading scheme. The IMO is working hard to avoid being lumped into the UN’s global scheme. The IMO intends to present a plan that will prevent the UN from imposing its own emissions rules at a Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in December 2009.

The shipping industry has come under a global attack by countries around the world because of its CO2 emissions. In 2007, the shipping contributed approximate 3.5 percent of global CO2 emission. With international waterborne commerce expanding rapidly, the IMO governing body is working hard to not get lumped into the UN’s scheme. While, aviation is responsible for about 2 percent of CO2 emissions, both sectors are exempt from CO2 emissions per the Kyoto Protocol.

This is basically IMO’s last chance to get its act together as the global shipping industry has been put into the spot light because of its high emissions and a weak policy for dealing with the issue. The UN, the EU and the U.S. are providing the IMO with enough time to deal with the problem, but the clock is ticking. If the IMO comes up with a less than acceptable regime than the UN will be forced to include the industry into the global emission scheme.

FYI Section:

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) is an agency of the United Nations which has been formed to promote maritime safety. It was formally established by an international conference in Geneva in 1948, and became active in 1958 when the IMO Convention entered into force (the original name was the Inter-Governmental Maritime Consultative Organization, or IMCO, but the name was changed in 1982 to IMO). IMO currently groups 167 Member States and 3 Associate Members.

IMO ship pollution rules are contained in the “International Convention on the Prevention of Pollution from Ships”, known as MARPOL 73/78. On 27 September 1997, the MARPOL Convention has been amended by the “1997 Protocol”, which includes Annex VI titled “Regulations for the Prevention of Air Pollution from Ships”. MARPOL Annex VI sets limits on NOx and SOx emissions from ship exhausts, and prohibits deliberate emissions of ozone depleting substances.

The IMO emission standards are commonly referred to as Tier I...III standards. The Tier I standards were defined in the 1997 version of Annex VI, while the Tier II/III standards were introduced by draft Annex VI amendments proposed in 2008, as follows:

•1997 Protocol (Tier I)—The “1997 Protocol” to MARPOL, which includes Annex VI, becomes effective 12 months after being accepted by 15 States with not less than 50% of world merchant shipping tonnage. On 18 May 2004, Samoa deposited its ratification as the 15th State (joining Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Liberia, Marshal Islands, Norway, Panama, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, and Vanuatu). At that date, Annex VI was ratified by States with 54.57% of world merchant shipping tonnage. By April 2008, Annex VI was ratified by 49 countries, representing 74.77% of tonnage.

•Accordingly, Annex VI entered into force on 19 May 2005. It applies retroactively to new engines greater than 130 kW installed on vessels constructed on or after January 1, 2000, or which undergo a major conversion after that date. The regulation also applies to fixed and floating rigs and to drilling platforms (except for emissions associated directly with exploration and/or handling of sea-bed minerals).

•In anticipation of the Annex VI ratification, most marine engine manufacturers have been building engines compliant with the above standards since 2000.

•2008 Amendments (Tier II/III)—Proposed Annex VI amendments introduce (1) new fuel quality requirements beginning from March 2010, (2) Tier II and III NOx emission standards for new engines, and (3) Tier I NOx requirements for existing pre-2000 engines. The amendments are expected to be formally adopted by IMO in October 2008. If so, the revised Annex VI would enter into force in 2010.