Reduce power to cut emissions, says BIMCO

While it remains a fact that a ship’s speed is the single most important variable influencing its CO2 emissions, there are different views as to which regulatory measure is best when it comes to enforcement and achieving the objective of curbing emissions.

As solely measuring a ship’s speed is not an accurate exercise, other avenues have been investigated and it has been concluded that limiting ships’ propulsion power can be controlled accurately. “While it is imperative to ensure the GHG emissions savings through slower steaming are sustained, it is also important that owners are incentivised to innovate,” explained Lars Robert Pedersen, BIMCO deputy secretary general.

Setting a limit for ships’ power has already been suggested by Japan. BIMCO recommends the power limit should be derived for each shipping sector from an assumed performance of an average ship sailing at current average trading speed within each sector.

The proposal will be introduced at the intersessional meeting of the working group on reduction of GHG emissions from ships at the IMO in London on 11 – 15 October.