Governments to decide on USD5 billion R&D fund to accelerate zero-carbon shipping in first ‘litmus test’ of COP 26 commitments
One week after Glasgow, 174 governments will meet this week at the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in London to address the pressing carbon emission reduction challenges facing international shipping, in what industry is calling the ‘first litmus test’ of government’s decarbonisation commitments following COP26, according to ICS's release.
A critical meeting of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC), held by the global shipping industry’s UN regulator, will decide whether to go ahead with a USD 5 billion R&D fund – the ‘IMO Maritime Research Fund (IMRF)’.
Paid for entirely by the industry, at no cost to governments or taxpayers, the fund would be used to accelerate the rapid increase of Technology Readiness Levels to ensure zero-carbon fuels can be used on large ocean-going ships.
If approved, the R&D fund is expected to be up and running by 2023, with the ability to put large numbers of zero-carbon ships in the water by 2030, making net zero shipping by 2050 a reality.
A proposal for the IMRF was first put forward in 2019 and is now supported by major shipping nations including Denmark, Greece, Japan, Panama, Singapore and the United Kingdom, plus developing nations such as Liberia, Nigeria and Palau, who collectively represent the majority of the world’s shipping.
However, the IMRF needs regulatory approval from the majority of governments attending MEPC for the mandatory R&D contribution system to be passed, which will be funded by collecting USD2 per tonne of marine fuel consumed by ships trading internationally.
