ISWG-GHG 15 has begun five-day meeting ahead of the MEPC 80

The Intersessional Working Group on Reduction of GHG Emissions from Ships (ISWG-GHG 15) has begun five-day meeting, working on revision of IMO GHG strategy, ahead of the MEPC 80 meeting (3-7 July), IMO reports in its press release.

“Be ambitious and bold,” said Secretary-General Lim. Speech HERE.

There are two main themes: the finalization of the draft 2023 IMO strategy on reduction of GHG emissions from ships, and the further assessment and selection of measures, both technical and economic elements.

Revision of the initial IMO GHG Strategy

The Intersessional Working Group on Reduction of GHG Emissions from Ships (ISWG-GHG 15) 26-30 June 2023 will report to the MEPC on its discussions.

It is anticipated that a working group will be established, during MEPC 80, to finalize the draft strategy, following plenary statements.

Mid-term measures including possible technical and economic measures

The MEPC 76 session adopted a work plan on the concrete way forward to make progress with candidate mid- and long-term measures, including measures to incentivize the move away from fossil fuels to low- and zero-carbon fuels to achieve decarbonization of international shipping. Read more on mid and long-term measures here including fact sheets on proposed measures.

An ad-hoc expert workshop on preliminary comparative analysis of candidate mid-term measures was held in May.

Measures which have been put forward for discussion and selection include technical elements such as a GHG intensity fuel standard; as well as economic elements such as a levy, reward, feebate or flat rate contribution.

The revised strategy is expected to set out the way forward for possible technical and economic measures to be further developed by IMO.

The MEPC is expected to develop draft terms of reference for future ISWG-GHG meetings as well as the next steps for impact assessment of candidate measures.

Life cycle GHG assessment guidelines set for adoption

The MEPC is expected to consider the report of the Correspondence Group on Marine Fuel Life Cycle GHG Analysis, including draft Guidelines on life cycle GHG intensity of marine fuels (LCA guidelines) for consideration and adoption.

The draft LCA guidelines will allow for a Well-to-Wake calculation, including Well-to-Tank and Tank-to-Wake emission factors, of total GHG emissions related to the production and use of marine fuels.

Onboard CO₂ capture

The MEPC will consider a number of submissions related to onboard CO2 capture.

The submissions include those relating to onboard carbon capture (OCC) technology and a proposal on the way forward to review the current regulatory framework and consider how to move forward to potentially accommodate onboard CO2 capture within IMO's regulatory framework.

LINK TO THE ORIGINAL ARTICLE