The International Maritime Organization (IMO) is inviting maritime technology providers to submit entries to the IMO CARES (Coordinated Actions to Reduce Emissions from Shipping) Maritime Technology Global Challenge, which is designed to accelerate the identification and deployment of innovative decarbonisation solutions for ports and domestic vessels in Africa and the Caribbean. Technology providers from around the world can enter the Challenge and showcase their market-ready solutions to help reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the maritime sector in selected developing countries in Africa and the Caribbean: Namibia, St Kitts and Nevis, as well as Trinidad and Tobago. A fourth country will be announced in the coming weeks.

The competition is now open for submissions via the IMO CARES website. Entries are accepted until 18:00 (UTC) on Sunday 7 January 2024. The winners will be selected by an independent judging panel consisting of representatives from the regional Maritime Technology Cooperation Centres, academic bodies and other IMO CARES stakeholders. The results will be announced end of January, with winners expected to submit their final proposals by April. Up to four winning technology providers will be selected by an expert panel and will receive funding of USD $15,000 to $30,000 to develop bespoke technical proposals for the implementation of their solutions in the specific countries. A document outlining the submission guidance and technical overview of the beneficiary countries can be found here. The Challenge was launched via a virtual event yesterday featuring speakers from the IMO CARES team as well as representatives from the Maritime Technology Cooperation Centres in Africa and the Caribbean. A recording of the event, which included an interactive Q&A session with the audience is available here. The IMO CARES project is funded by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and is implemented by the IMO.
Source: IAPH