by Chinonye Anyatonwu
The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) has called for the Sea Cargo Charter initiative on emissions reporting to be aligned with requirements to be agreed by the IMO.
Commenting on the announcement Guy Platten, ICS secretary general said: “We welcome any move that advances the agenda to decarbonise shipping and the supply chain.
“The initiative has some interesting ideas but we believe that it would have a better chance of success if it was to aligned with the reporting requirements set out by governments (and even the Poseidon Principles), to be agreed at the IMO following significant consultation and review, to ensure that the reporting requirements are as efficient as possible. We have offered to work with the companies to ensure that they can deliver on their stated objective and produce an even more effective initiative.”
The companies said that the Sea Cargo Charter was consistent with the policies and ambitions adopted by member states of the IMO.
There is growing frustration from both some governments and corporations over the length of time the IMO is taking to formulate and agree regulations for reducing GHG emissions from shipping and this is leading unilateral and regional measures.
Last month the European Parliament voted to include both international and EU “domestic” shipping trades into their Emissions Trading System (ETS) by 1 January 2022.
