Although the ambition of the agreed measures has fallen short of expectations, OceanCare welcomes the fact that a majority vote secured to continue advancing the decarbonisation of shipping, making it the first global industry sector to adopt binding regulations for decarbonisation. The majority was secured due to the support from e.g. Member States of the European Union, Switzerland, the UK, many Latin American countries, Turkey, but especially also China. 16 States, mainly oil producing countries, including Iran, Qatar, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia voted in opposition and 23 IMO Member States abstained.
‘Despite the opposition by the US administration to progress negotiations on the adoption of the IMO’s medium-term decarbonisation measures and the strong efforts by the oil-producing countries to lower the ambition of the measures under discussion as much as possible, the final outcome secured by voting is welcomed. While not all expectations have been met, it is important to continue advancing the decarbonisation of maritime transport, which is also a resounding success for the system of multilateralism within the framework of the United Nations,’ said Carlos Bravo, representative of OceanCare, who attended the 83rd meeting of the IMO Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) in London.
Although the proposal, put forward by the Pacific Island States and supported by other countries, to establish a levy on each tonne of CO2-eq emitted has not prospered, an architecture based on an emissions market system has been imposed, with penalties and rewards according to the degree of compliance with the IMO’s decarbonisation trajectory objectives.
In this context, it has been agreed to create a Net-Zero Fund through which the IMO will disburse the income collected by the agreed system to promote the use of technologies, fuels and/or energy sources with zero or near-zero GHG emissions (ZNZ), and promote a fair and equitable transition in States by facilitating environmental and climate protection, adaptation and resilience building within the boundaries of the energy transition in maritime transport, paying special attention to the needs of developing countries, in particular the least developed countries (LDCs) and small island developing States (SIDS).
“Clean zero-emissions fuels will not be available on a large scale for at least more than a decade and in the meantime, due to the urgency of the climate crisis, the IMO should adopt regulatory measures to accelerate the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by making use of operational measures such as reducing ship speeds and promoting techniques as wind power to support propulsión”, added Bravo.
By reducing vessel speed, ships will produce fewer greenhouse gas emissions, reduce emissions of black carbon and other air pollutants from dirty fuels, reduce underwater noise pollution, as well as the number and mortality of collisions with whales.
Other relevant measures adopted by the MEPC
OceanCare is very pleased that the designation of the North-East Atlantic Ocean as an Emission Control Area (ECA) for sulphur oxides, particulate matter and nitrogen oxides has been agreed.
This ECA covers the exclusive economic zones (EEZs) and territorial seas extending up to 200 nautical miles from the baselines of Greenland, Iceland, the Faroe Islands, Ireland, the continental territory of the United Kingdom, France, Spain and Portugal.
In addition, initial approval has been given to Peru’s proposal for the designation of two Particularly Sensitive Sea Areas (PSSAs) in the ‘Nasca Ridge National Reserve’ and ‘Grau Tropical Sea National Reserve’ marine areas in the South American Pacific Ocean.
The Nasca Ridge National Reserve is a deep-water ecosystem containing an underwater mountain range, characterised by unique biodiversity, and was designated as Peru’s first purely marine protected natural area in 2021. It is an habitat of crucial importance because its pelagic ecosystem is rich in primary productivity and constitutes a food source for a variety of seabirds including a number of albatross and petrel species, marine cetaceans such as the humpback, sperm, blue and killer whale, as well as sea turtles such as the loggerhead turtle, all of which are on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. It has a potentially high diversity of benthic habitats, including seamounts, trenches and methane seeps, and it is of notable interest because many pelagic and benthic organisms are critically dependent on these habitats for reproduction, ecological connectivity and gene flow, among other crucial ecological processes.
On the other hand, the objective of the proposed PSSA of the Grau Tropical Sea National Reserve is to strengthen the conservation of the ecosystems of Peru’s tropical sea, which includes the tropical-temperate transition zone (Tropical Eastern Pacific Province with the Temperate South-Eastern Province), contributing to the continuity of ecological processes and promoting the sustainable use of natural resources. As in the previous case, the designation is also needed in order to raise awareness in the international maritime community of the sensitivity of the area and the risks associated with maritime traffic.
The Grau Tropical Sea National Reserve protects critical habitats for endangered species protected by Peru and internationally, such as seahorse habitats in the Cabo Blanco-El Ñuro sector and in Punta Sal Reefs, a breeding and nursery habitat for the humpback whale and one of the feeding habitats for adult green turtles (Chelonia mydas). There are also critical habitats for hawksbill turtles and whale sharks in the Punta Sal Reefs sector, breeding areas for pelagic sharks and manta rays, a colony of fur seals on Isla Foca, possibly of the Galapagos species, and populations and nesting areas for guano birds. In addition, the habitat is conserved for many species of fish and invertebrates whose populations are declining or in a critical state and need protected areas to take refuge. The Mancora Bank sector contains deep-water oceanic communities unique in the entire Peruvian sea, such as a diverse community of crustaceans and other invertebrates, with numerous endemic species.
Source: OceanCare