At Breezemarine Group, we understand the importance of complying with eco-regulations in the maritime industry. That’s why we offer a range of tools, including our Fuel Consumption Monitoring System, Ballast Water Treatment System, and Exhaust After Treatment system, to help vessels function efficiently and in an eco-friendly way.
In this article, we’ll examine the EU and IMO regulatory approaches to controlling CO2 emissions from maritime transport.
EU and IMO Strategies
The EU and IMO both have strategies in place to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the shipping industry, but while there are similarities between the two systems, there are also some significant differences. For example, the IMO’s approach to monitoring, reporting, and verifying emissions has some unique features compared to EU MRV legislation.
Under the EU MRV regulations, shipping companies with vessels exceeding 5,000 GT operating in the EU had until August 2017 to prepare monitoring plans and procedures for monitoring and reporting carbon emissions during transport operations. The MRV regulation makes publicly available data for over 12,000 vessels in EU ports since January 1, 2018.
IMO Mandatory Fuel Consumption Data Collection System
Every vessel must monitor and record fuel consumption and CO2 emissions, including empty vessels, and register related transport operations that represent commercial goods. Some specialized vessels and naval units are exempt from this. A Monitoring Plan (MP) is required for each vessel that plans sea transportation to an EU port in 2018. The MP includes information such as the ship and shipping company’s identification, identification of emission sources, procedures for monitoring voyages, fuel consumption and activity data, data processing methodology, quality control procedures, responsibilities, and ICT systems used.
On the other hand, the IMO has adopted a mandatory fuel consumption data collection system for international shipping, requiring ships of 5000 GT and above to collect and transmit data to the IMO database from 2019. The system controls all passages worldwide and uses the Ship’s Energy Efficiency Management Plan (SEEMP), and calculations are based on distance and time. The report is sent to the country of the vessel’s owner.
It’s worth noting that ships over 5000 GT account for around 85% of CO2 emissions from international traffic. By 2050, emissions from shipping are projected to increase between 50 and 250 percent, which is why both the EU and IMO are focused on controlling emissions from these vessels.
Breezemarine Group’s Contribution to a Sustainable Future
At Breezemarine Group, we offer our Fuel Consumption Monitoring system to help our clients comply with EU MRV and IMO regulations and reduce their carbon footprint. We believe that working together can create a more sustainable future for the maritime industry and the planet.