NGOs push EU states over EEDI vote - CarbonPositive

Posted March 23, 2001 - CarbonPositive

An alliance of environmental NGOs is calling on six European states to ratify a key international maritime air pollution treaty in time for a crucial International Maritime Organization (IMO) vote in July on measures to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in shipping.
The Clean Shipping Coalition (CSC) is calling on Hungary, Austria, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Malta and the principality of Monaco to ratify the MARPOL Convention’s Annex VI agreement on air pollution. The CSC has written to the Hungarian government, the current holders of the EU presidency, seeking swift action on its ratifying Annex VI and pushing the other five states to do the same.
The six would boost numbers that could vote in support of mandatory application of the Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) to new ships. EEDI is expected to cut GHG emissions in international shipping by 20 per cent by 2030 by mandating all new vessels are built to higher energy-efficiency standards.
Nations that are a party to MARPOL Annex VI are expected to vote on EEDI at the next meeting of the IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) in London in July. Moves to have EEDI implemented by IMO failed at an October 2010 MEPC meeting. This prompted supporters of the move, a number of them EU nations, to bring on a vote among Annex VI nations to amend the treaty to adopt EEDI.
CSC warns that the July vote will be tight, given the staunch opposition to mandatory EEDI among developing countries, particularly China and Saudi Arabia.

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