It was not an easy task for the chairman to maintain the discussions on the right track but thankfully some important progress was made. Simon C Bergulf, Maersk’s Regulatory Affairs Director, summarised the shipowners’s position: ‘This MEPC exposed the fundamental divide between IMO Member States on GHG measures. Most importantly, the shipping company believed that the industry must now focus on ‘real transition measures’ – and develop time frames for market based measures (MBMs) and carbon prices. While Maersk was pleased to see the short measures adopted, it felt that there needs to be more clarity on their implementation. While the new regulations have generally been welcomed, many environmental NGOs have criticised them for their ‘lack of ambition’. They included the carbon intensity index (CII), the Energy Efficiency Existing Ship Index (EEXI) and an enhancement of the Ship Energy Efficiency Management Plan (SEEMP). In a statement sent to Bunkerspot, Maersk has said that the 76th meeting of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) has ‘exposed the fundamental divide between IMO Member States on GHG measures’ – but nevertheless ‘some important progress was made’.Īs previously reportedly, MEPC 76 – which began last Thursday and concludes today – did secure approval for a package of ‘short term’ regulations that focus on reducing emissions on existing ships.
