IMO NARROWS THE FIELD ON EMISSIONS
LAST week's meeting of IMO's Bulk, Liquid and Gas sub-committee narrowed the options under consideration as the next step in reducing SOX emissions from shipping.
Now the agency's Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 57) will have one global option and two regional ones when it meets from 31 March to 4 April. The global option envisages a worldwide sulphur in fuel cap of 1% by 2012 and 0.5% by 2015.
The first of the regional solutions is similar to that proposed by the US and would retain the current 4.5% global cap but would allow a 0.1% cap in defined coastal areas by 2012.
The other option, generally following the Bimco proposal, would mandate a global cap of 3% by 2012 while the SECA caps would be 1% by 2010 and 0.5% by 2015. In addition there would be provision for what are tentatively being called ?micro-SECAs? which would extend from the coast up to 24 miles from the base line. Within these areas there would be a 0.1% cap. No date has been put to this this part of the proposal and all the dates in the three options are still in square brackets, meaning they have not yet been finally agreed.
The secretary general of the International Bunker Industry Association says: ?IBIA welcomes the fact that we have focused our minds on three solutions rather than six and we envisage being fully engaged in the discussion at MEPC 57.?
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