Environmental NGOs Advocate for Stricter CII Penalties and Standards

The IMO’s Intersessional Working Group on Reduction of GHG Emissions from Ships (IWSG) was hosted from March 11 to 15, followed by the 81st meeting of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 81) on March 18-22.

The Clean Shipping Coalition (CSC), along with Pacific Environment and WWF, has outlined its desired outcomes for these meetings. They are advocating for a revision of the Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) to align it with the IMO’s revised GHG strategy.

Specifically, the coalition is calling for an end to the initial soft enforcement period of the regulation and an increase in energy efficiency improvement targets within the CII. They emphasize the need for real consequences for non-compliance to ensure emissions reductions are meaningful and reliable.

The group believes that from 2027, the CII should play a significant role in driving ship climate emission reductions, alongside the proposed goal-based fuel standard (GFS) and other mid-term measures.

Furthermore, the organizations are urging the adoption of global standards for fuel/energy in shipping to provide certainty for investments in green energy, such as green methanol and ammonia, in countries with abundant renewable resources.

They support the idea of a greenhouse gas levy on shipping, suggesting a fee of $150/ton of pollution. This levy would incentivize greater efficiency and the uptake of zero-emission energy, while also generating funds for sector research and development to ensure an equitable transition for all countries.