The World Shipping Council has proposed imposing additional environmental charges on shipping companies. The idea is to impose a special levy on shipping companies using conventional bunker fuels and the proceeds would be used to finance shipowners who use “green” fuels (primarily large shipping lines), the IAA PortNews correspondent reports citing a WSC official at a briefing.
The amount of the fee will vary depending on the CO2 emissions of a particular company’s fleet. Shipowners whose ships’ emissions are below the established standard, on the contrary, will receive bonuses from the funds collected, Vice-President Brian Wood-Thomas, WSC, Ocean Carriers, said.
In order to determine the level of emissions, it is planned that shipowners will be required to provide relevant information about the operation of their fleet to a single database. The entire process must be controlled by the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
This is the “lowest cost” method proposed for the shipping industry to achieve the IMO’s goals to curb shipping emissions to net zero “by or around 2050”, the WSC said.
The idea has already been supported by Hapag-Lloyd and ONE, whose representatives attended the briefing and supported the proposed scheme.