GSF Backs Maritime Emissions Monitoring System

The Global Shippers’ Forum (GSF) is calling for shippers’ carbon reporting requirements to be fully considered as the maritime sector develops technical and operational measures to reduce emissions, the organisation said in a release.

Ahead of the International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 67) next week, GSF is supporting progress towards establishing a data collection system for ships to measure maritime emissions.

Shippers are under increasing pressure to be able to report Scope 3 (indirect carbon emissions) to customers and require this data from ship operators.

Chris Welsh, Secretary General of GSF, said: “Next week, we hope that the IMO’s special correspondence group taking this work forward will make further progress on a data collection system. A pragmatic and practical data collection system, based where possible on actual fuel consumption and distance travelled, will help identify where emissions need to be cut whilst assisting shippers in making carbon efficient supply chain decisions.”

As the European Commission also works on proposals for a monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) system from 2018 for all large ships that use EU ports, GSF welcomes the IMO’s decision to also establish a global system. Ultimately a global reporting system for ships is required as shipping remains a global industry.

“Shippers are increasingly required to measure, evaluate and report the carbon impact of global goods transportation for their customers. A standardised global system will help meet these requirements. As IMO continues this work, it is vital that shippers’ views are factored into proposals and existing methodologies and tools that are already supported by industry are considered,” Welsh said.