Paris, 12 February 2008
ICC's Committee on Maritime Transport has called on the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to adopt new emissions standards for ships in the coming months.
Stricter global standards are urgently needed for the emission of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and for assessing technology to curb sulfur oxides (SOx) and particulates. These substances are known to contibute to acid rain, harm biodiversity on land and in coastal waters, and are major contributors to rising amounts of ground-level zone.
ICC advised that measures to address greenhouse gas emissions from ships, particularly carbon dioxide (CO2), are also necessary. New, more effective environmental standards must also take into consideration fuel availability for ships.
The IMO, a UN agency charged with developing a regulatory framewok for the world's shipping industry, is in the final stages of reviewing ways to adopt tigher standards. But to avert the proliferation of regional and local emissions regulations, the IMO must act now, ICC urged. Ohterwise, a patchwork of varying regulations would lead to operatinal difficulties, varying fuel standards, and higher costs across the board in the shipping industry, ICC warned.
Air pollution from oceangoing ships is one of the most important issues for the international maritime and port industries, especially in major ports and busy coastal areas.
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