IMO Signs Partnership Deal with European Bank
The IMO has signed a new partnership agreement with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) to help promote sustainable shipping and ports in selected countries.
In addition to providing investment financing, IMO and EBRD will work together to provide technical advisory services, project preparation and planning, capacity building and institutional development, focusing initially on joint projects with the national authorities of Azerbaijan, Egypt, Georgia, Morocco, Tunisia and Turkey. Gap analysis will be carried out with specific projects likely to focus on a range of safety and environment related issues.
The IMO is actively working towards the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the associated Sustainable Development Goals. Most of the elements of its 2030 Agenda will only be realized with a sustainable transport sector, and the EBRD agreement represents a first arrangement in support of that between the IMO and a multilateral development bank.
The agreed projects could include:
• investment opportunities in sustainable transport
• safe transport of solid bulk cargoes and dangerous goods
• facilitation of maritime traffic and electronic business and implementation of a maritime single window
• identification of locations and business models for port reception facilities for ship-generated waste
• sensitivity mapping and oil spill exercises
• promoting acceptance and implementation of IMO’s 2012 Cape Town Agreement on fishing vessel safety
• assessing emissions in ports and developing emission-reduction strategies
• looking at opportunities to improve ships in terms of reducing air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions and improving energy efficiency
• potential regulatory and policy reforms associated with ships using shore-based power sources in port
• identifying opportunities to invest and propose investment for LNG bunkering infrastructure
• risk assessments for marine bioinvasions and identifying key locations for port-based reception facilities and contingency measures, as well as appropriate commercial models.
"This strategic partnership, combining IMO's global mandate and outreach and EBRD's experience and expertise on investment and finance, is expected to contribute a great deal to sustainable maritime transport and the implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals," said Secretary-General Kitack Lim.