IMO’s life cycle GHG emissions guidelines expected in December

The Working Group proposed the establishment of a correspondence group to develop the draft guidelines based on proposals submitted by member states. The standalone technical lifecycle guidelines will cover well-to-wake, including well-to-tank and tank-to-wake, emission values.

Any regulatory application of the guidelines will be defined in a separate process.

The guidelines will be fuel-neutral, and the working group agreed that the main “initial” feedstocks to be included in the draft LCA guidelines would not be considered as “priority” fuels to avoid discriminating against other possible feedstocks and pathways. Initial feedstocks merely represented the main current and expected future marine fuels.

Candidate future low-carbon and zero-carbon fuels for shipping have diverse production pathways (for example, different generations of biofuels, hydrogen-based fuels, etc.) entailing significant differences in their overall environmental footprint. The Motorship hosted a vibrant online discussion late last year ExxonMobil, bringing together senior leaders from ship owners, charterers, engine builders and fuel and lubricant suppliers, to discuss new fuels and regulatory challenges.