INTERNATIONAL
Chamber of Shipping (ICS) chairman Masamichi Morooka has express serious
concern about the negative financial consequences of upcoming environmental
legislation on the shipping industry.
The extra investment required comes at a time when shipping companies are feeling the pinch of lower volumes, rates and financing.
Speaking at this year's Connecticut Maritime Association gathering he called on regulators to be more aware of the impact of their actions.
"While regulators have a responsibility to balance the interests of shipowners with the need to protect the interests of society, they also need to be pragmatic and understand the impact that their actions," said Mr Morooka.
He highlighted that shipowners are now required to invest heavily in new technologies and solutions, to deal with sulphur emissions, NOx emissions, CO2 emissions and ballast water discharges.
"If a shipping company is already sinking in debt, how is it going to pay for the retrofitting of expensive new ballast water treatment systems that will be required in the next few years at an estimated cost of between US$1 million-$5 million per ship, and at a total cost to the industry that will probably run into hundreds of billions?"
With regards to a monitoring, reporting and verification systems (MRV) of CO2 emissions, Mr Morooka said such a system is widely seen as a tool to reduce emissions and thus fuel consumption.
But the ICS remains cautious about the need to develop a market-based measure to further curb shipping's emissions given that the industry has the two mandatory technical and operational measures in force.
The European Commission is expected to propose the mechanism for an MRV later this year. Brussels's move to develop an MRV comes with its decision to cease work temporarily on developing a Europe-wide, market-based measure to curb CO2 emissions.
The extra investment required comes at a time when shipping companies are feeling the pinch of lower volumes, rates and financing.
Speaking at this year's Connecticut Maritime Association gathering he called on regulators to be more aware of the impact of their actions.
"While regulators have a responsibility to balance the interests of shipowners with the need to protect the interests of society, they also need to be pragmatic and understand the impact that their actions," said Mr Morooka.
He highlighted that shipowners are now required to invest heavily in new technologies and solutions, to deal with sulphur emissions, NOx emissions, CO2 emissions and ballast water discharges.
"If a shipping company is already sinking in debt, how is it going to pay for the retrofitting of expensive new ballast water treatment systems that will be required in the next few years at an estimated cost of between US$1 million-$5 million per ship, and at a total cost to the industry that will probably run into hundreds of billions?"
With regards to a monitoring, reporting and verification systems (MRV) of CO2 emissions, Mr Morooka said such a system is widely seen as a tool to reduce emissions and thus fuel consumption.
But the ICS remains cautious about the need to develop a market-based measure to further curb shipping's emissions given that the industry has the two mandatory technical and operational measures in force.
The European Commission is expected to propose the mechanism for an MRV later this year. Brussels's move to develop an MRV comes with its decision to cease work temporarily on developing a Europe-wide, market-based measure to curb CO2 emissions.
Source : HKSG,
25.03.13.
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar