IMO to help Belize address emissions
The IMO-Norway GreenVoyage2050 team is supporting the government of Belize to set up a National Action Plan (NAP) to address GHG emissions from shipping and draft legislation to enshrine MARPOL Annex VI into national regulation, according to IMO's release.
As part of the capacity building support, the GreenVoyage2050 team will assist the country in identifying and addressing data gaps (such as emissions from ports and domestic shipping). This information will underpin the formation of national strategies to tackle these emissions.
Belize, which is a GreenVoyage2050 partnering country, identified these data gaps during a virtual national roundtable (held 19 July, one in a series) that explored the drivers and benefits of creating a NAP for Belize. Fifteen participants across government agencies and national ports attended the session, which confirmed the need for a NAP as part of the sustainability component of Belize’s wider maritime policy. Attendees are expected to continue the roundtable discussion in the coming months.
The virtual roundtable saw attendance by representatives from the Belize Port Authority, Ministry of Blue Economy, Belize’s Ministry of Public Utilities and Energy, Belize Coast Guard, The International Merchant Marine Registry of Belize (IMMARBE), Belize Coastal Zone Management Authority, Belize Energy Unit and Belize Department of the Environment, as well as the Port of Belize Ltd, Harvest Caye Cruise Port and the Port of Big Creek.
