Shanghai, Trinidad and Tobago to Host Technology Centers

The IMO has announced the first two institutes selected to host regional maritime technology cooperation center under a project, funded by the E.U. and implemented by IMO, to help mitigate the harmful effects of climate change.

Under the scheme, Shanghai Maritime University in China will host the center for the Asia region, while the University of Trinidad and Tobago will host the Caribbean center. Three further centers will be established in other target regions - Africa, Latin America and the Pacific – to form a global network. 

The five regional centers will deliver mutually-agreed project milestones over a three-year period, contributing to the IMO’s efforts to ensure effective implementation and enforcement of the global energy-efficiency regulations for international shipping.

The centers will receive allocations from the €10 million ($10.5 million) E.U. funding for the project. They will be resourced to become regional centers of excellence, providing leadership in promoting ship energy efficiency technologies and operations.  

The selection of Shanghai Maritime University and the University of Trinidad and Tobago, both confirmed this week, followed a competitive tendering process.

Greenhouse gas emissions from shipping are expected to increase but developing countries, which play a significant role in international shipping, often lack the means to improve energy efficiency in their shipping sectors. This project, formally entitled “Capacity Building for Climate Change Mitigation in the Maritime Shipping Industry” will enable developing countries in the target regions to effectively implement energy-efficiency measures through technical assistance, capacity building and promoting technical cooperation.