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Many in shipping have been looking for clues as to industry’s regulatory future in the election this week of a new chief of International Maritime Organization (IMO), Japan’s Koji Sekimizu, currently director of the IMO's maritime safety division. On the thorny issue of greenhouse-gas (GHG) regulation, the IMO is currently exploring market-based measures (MBMs) to cut emissions and mulling a decision to make energy efficiency standards in ship design and operation mandatory. It appears any big decisions on market measures for international shipping will be made under the Sekimizu reign between 2012 and 2015.
It is hard to gauge how his appointment will affect the direction of such regulation. Certainly, he can’t be seen to be using his position to push Japan’s MBM proposal for a bunker levy scheme designed to reward energy efficiency in ships. As to Semikizu’s ability to oversee resolution in shipping’s GHG emissions challenge, which has eluded his predecessors up to now, opinions differ.
Lloyds List comments: “As a long-time insider Mr Semikizu might not be the Richard Branson-style candidate to shake up the organization, as many people appeared to favour in a Lloyd’s List’s poll. But he is highly respected within the IMO and that might be in his favour when it comes to making difficult decisions as the organization seeks to deal with the diverse range of challenges it faces in the next few years that he will be secretary-general.”
The European Union, meanwhile, continues its consultation program over a plan to implement regional regulation to reduce shipping GHG emissions. EU Transport Commissioner Siim Kallas and Climate Commissioner Connie Hedegaard met with shipping industry and government officials this week to discuss options.
Complete Story at:
http://www.carbonpositive.net/viewarticle.aspx?articleID=2345
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