The ship managers’ association is calling on the IMO to make improvements to the planned climate protection measures on the way to “net zero”.
When the IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) meets for its 83rd session at the beginning of April, the next steps for decarbonizing shipping will be discussed. Specifically, a CO2 levy will be discussed.
The majority of member states are in favor of such a levy. However, it is not yet clear how high it will be. According to earlier information, it could be between $18 and $150 per tonne of greenhouse gas emissions.
A trading mechanism with certificates similar to the EU ETS is currently also conceivable. The emissions per ship would then be offset depending on whether they are above or below a certain annual benchmark.
In the run-up to the conference, InterManager, the international association of ship managers led by Bernhard Schulte manager Sebastian von Hardenberg, pointed out a flaw in the proposed system. While ship management companies are to be held liable for compliance issues in future, in practice they have no influence on the actual greenhouse gas intensity of a ship.
Only the ship owner decides on the type of main engine or technologies installed on board, such as wind sails, while the charterer usually decides on the fuel used.
However, the current draft amendment to MARPOL Annex VI stipulates that ship managers should assume sole responsibility for potential fines. “We believe that this is clearly wrong. Without a change to the requirements, the association therefore believes that there is a risk of significant legal challenges. InterManager points out that around 20% of the global fleet is operated by third-party technical ship managers as ISM managers.
In addition, third-party managers would be forced to demand financial guarantees from shipowners in advance to cover potential insolvency or default risks. This would tie up significant amounts of capital in collateral, limiting the cash flow available for investment in new vessels.
“We ship managers are determined to play our part in shipping’s journey towards net zero. However, when it comes to the greenhouse gas intensity of a ship, ship managers are not even consulted,” criticizes Sebastian von Hardenberg, President of InterManager.
