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The International Maritime Organization (IMO) is the United Nations agency responsible for the protection of the environment from the impact of maritime transport. However, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) addresses the overall obligations of governments with regard to reducing Green House Gas emissions. As already acknowledged by the Kyoto Protocol, emissions from international shipping cannot be attributed to any particular national economy. Multilateral collaborative action will be the most appropriate means to address emissions from the maritime transport sector. Multilateral collaborative action will be best achieved by governments at the specialist United Nations agency – the IMO - that has a successful track record for the development of global regulations governing the shipping industry’s environmental performance. For example, the International Convention on the Prevention of Pollution by Ships (MARPOL) is ratified and enforced globally through a combination of flag state and port state control by IMO Member States. The delivery of significant emission reductions by the maritime sector will require that any mandatory measures adopted are applied on a uniform and global basis to avoid ‘carbon leakage’. Most shipping companies have the freedom to decide to register their ships with the ‘flag state’ [1] of their choice including those which, under the current Kyoto Protocol, are not Annex I nations. Measures to deliver meaningful emission reductions are thus much more likely to be achieved by instruments developed by governments at IMO. In 2009, only about 35% of the world merchant fleet is registered in Kyoto Annex I countries. The direct Kyoto Protocol concept of ‘common but differentiated responsibility’ (CBDR) cannot be practically applied to shipping without the danger of significant ‘carbon leakage’. The ‘flag state’ with which a ship is registered, or indeed the ‘nationality’ of the entity operating the ship, can change frequently, especially when ships are bought and sold. The direct application of the CBDR concept would also cause gross distortion of shipping markets, reducing the efficiency of maritime transport and thus the smooth flow of world trade. However, the IMO principle of ‘no more favourable treatment’ ensures that standards adopted for shipping are applied equally throughout the world, delivering maximum environmental improvement. The international shipping industry therefore believes that the achievement of meaningful reductions in CO2 emissions will be best achieved if nations agree that the development of detailed measures, for the international merchant fleet, should be directed by governments at IMO - but respecting the outcomes agreed for the sector under any new UN Climate Change Convention. Failure to deliver a global and uniform CO2 reduction regime for international shipping will greatly reduce the ability of the shipping sector as a whole to reduce its emissions. [1] Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of Sea (UNCLOS), the flag state is the administration or government of the state whose flag the ship is entitled to fly. |
International shipping does not lend itself to inclusion as part of national emission targets. A ship may be registered in one country while the beneficial owner of the ship may be located in another. The cargo carried by the ship will be of economic benefit to a variety of different importing and exporting nations. Most ships do not follow fixed routes and they will collect and deliver varying amounts of cargo in a large number of different nations throughout the course of a voyage. Moreover, the nationality of the entities exporting and importing the cargo carried will vary considerably from voyage to voyage. |
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This site has been developed by the International
Chamber of Shipping |
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