IMO environmental measures from 2020
In order to respond to increasing pollution of the oceans and seas by international maritime transport, the International Maritime Organisation ("IMO") is rapidly announcing the entry into force of a number of new Convention provisions, inter alia by amending Annex VI of the MARPOL Convention which sets out the rules for the prevention of air pollution. From the first of January 2020, phase 2 of the IMO Energy Efficiency Measure will start, which consists of limiting the amount of fuel burned by each type of ship. Also on the first of January 2020, the sulphur content of fuel oil used on board will not be allowed to exceed 0.5% m/m instead of 3.5% m/m. The IMO estimates that this more stringent regulation will apply to approximately 70,000 ships.
It is expected that the 2009 Hong Kong Convention, which restricts the recycling of ships so as not to pose a risk to health and the environment, will have a sufficient number of parties in place by 2020. Also from 2020, the IMO Marine Environment Protection Committee ("MEPC") will develop short term measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from ships by at least 50% by 2050. Member States of the Ballast Water Convention, which came into force this year, will have to make further efforts to implement environmental protection measures in the shipping industry from 2020 onwards.
Climate efforts by the IMO, but also by other regulators such as the EU, require ever-increasing investment from the shipping industry. Whether such heavy investments will be linked to a competitive advantage will have to be determined in the future.