Following the meeting of the Tripartite Forum in Tokyo in October a joint statement said: “There is however a general concern that Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs) may not be able to meet the EEDI Phase 3 required standards with normal design improvements and this should be appropriately addressed at IMO level.”
The IMO’s EEDI (Energy Efficiency Design Index) Phase 2 comes in next year and runs until 2024 with phase 3 coming in 2025.
The Tripartite Forum comprises IACS, Active Shipbuilders Expert Federation (ASEF), BIMCO, ICS, Intercargo, Intertanko, OCIMF, and SEA Europe.
Aside from concerns over the ability of VLCCs to meet the requirements of EEDI phase 3, the forum’s participants agreed that the IMO’s 2030 GHG emission ambitions could likely be met, “under the existing MARPOL Annex VI regulatory framework in conjunction with short-term measures on improving energy efficiency of the existing fleet”.
The IMO’s 2050 goals would require significant changes including the development of new zero emission technologies and closer cooperation of all stakeholders in the shipping industry. “Nevertheless the Forum is optimistic that the targets are achievable, however better and clearer regulation is needed to help achieve these goals and create a conducive environment to incentivise sustainable shipping changes.”
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