–With a Focus on Green House Gas Reduction in Global Shipping
By: Trokon Wrepue – trokon1992seokin@gmail.com
Liberia is chairing this year’s session of the Marine Environmental Protection Committee of the International Maritime Organization at a time when the IMO attention is focused on the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) in international shipping globally.
At the IMO, Liberia’s head of the Marine Environmental Protection Committee, Dr. Harry Conway will preside over this all-important MEPC session which runs from Monday the 30th of September to Friday, October 4, 2024, in London. In July of 2023, the International Maritime Organization adopted its GHG strategy which sets a high-level ambitious target to decarbonize shipping by 2050.
A delegation of Liberia headed by Amb. Robert Wilmot Kpadeh, Liberia Permanent Representative to the International Maritime Organisation, the IMO shall join thousands of other delegates from across the world to attend the 82nd session of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 82) in London.
The 82nd session of the MEPC, under the Chairmanship of Dr. Harry Conway, Liberia’s Alternate Permanent Representative to IMO, would convene for a weeklong meeting during which crucial matters affecting the global marine environment as it relates to pollution from ships plying international waters would be discussed.
Of the many important issues to be considered at this meeting, including harmful aquatic organisms in ballast water; air pollution prevention; energy efficiency of ships; marine plastic litter; maritime autonomous surface ships (MASS), the reduction of GHG emissions from international ships is the top most agenda item.
This agenda item deals with the decarbonization of international shipping as envisaged in the 2023 IMO GHG Strategy.
The meeting, as per the implementation plan of the 2023 GHG Strategy, would receive the Reports of the 17th session of the Intercessional Working Group on GHG (ISWG-GHG 17) and the Steering Committee for the conduct of a Comprehensive Impact Assessment (CIA) on ship fleets and States of a proposed basket of candidate midterm GHG reduction measures.
According to the dispatch from London, the consideration of these reports by the MEPC is critical to the Committee’s work to adopt a basket of candidate midterm GHG reduction measures in the Autumn of 2025 if the Committee is to remain on course to meet the 2050 Net Zero CO2 reduction ambition of the Strategy.
Liberia is a major player in international shipping as the number one Open Registry in the world, a ‘Category -A’ Member of the IMO 40 Members Council, and working to harness the full potential of its blue economy as a Coastal and Port State, shall actively participate in the discussions to ensure the country’s economy is not negatively impacted disproportionately when the midterm measures are adopted while also identifying potential opportunities that the decarbonization of international shipping would provide to the country, especially as it relates to alternative fuels production and use in international shipping by 2030.
In the dispatch, Liberia Permanent Representative Ambassador Kpadeh, who is leading the Liberian delegation to the high-stake MEPC 82, says the Liberian delegation is deeply pleased and proud beyond words to see Dr. Harry Conway, an eminently qualified son of Liberia, presides over the week-long plenary of MEPC 82 as Chairman of such very important IMO Committee given the significant task of ensuring the decarbonization of international shipping and navigating towards the path of net zero by 2050.
“I consider this a pride and monumental moment not only for the Liberian delegation here but for Liberia as a nation, to see one of our chairing a major statutory Committee at the IMO and will be presiding over the 82nd session of the MEPC.
As a patriot, I am profoundly ecstatic and can not express enough how proud I am to see a fellow countryman in Dr. Conway blazing the trial and raising the flag of our country Liberia very high on the global stage. As Permanent Representative to the IMO, he has my unflinching support, and the Liberian delegation is fully standing behind him and will be cheering him on throughout the week of MEPC”, Amb. Kpadeh stated.
At the same time, Amb. Kpadeh has asserted that the voice of Liberia shall be echoed aloud in all the discussions at the MEPC plenary during this week, potentially ensuring that the country is effectively and efficiently represented, adding, “I will make sure the interest of Liberia and Africa is protected throughout these deliberations”, he stated.
MRPC Chair Dr. Conway
The Chair of this year’s MEPC session Dr. Conway in an interview said, that Liberia has been the first in the ship registry globally, which means all ships flying the Liberia flag globally will have to decarbonize. They must have technology that is efficient in reducing CO2 which will impact Liberia positively.
Liberia’s port must have alternative fuels that ships stopping at our port must be used because by that time there will be no use of fossil fuels we are currently using. The Liberia Alternate Permanent Representative to the International Maritime Organization said.
According to Dr. Harry Conway, whatever decision is reached at this year’s session of the Marine Environmental Protection Committee of the International Maritime Organization would impact the country in the area of shipping logistic costs.
“For example, let us assume that we have carbon pricing that puts the price of the CO2 emitted by some vessels, which means the cost of shipping to Liberia will increase. This means Liberia as a country including the registry should pay attention to the ongoing discussion on how it is proceeding, and what measures should be adopted that favor Liberia.
Dr. Conway said Liberia’s team at the International Maritime Organization will get fully involved in discussions at the MEPC session to ensure everything adopted impacts the country with the highest ship registry positively.
The Liberia Alternate Permanent Representative chairing of the MEPC gives him and his country the benefit of interacting with leading maritime players in the world which may have a great impact on Liberia’s maritime sector. “With this position, I can speak to anybody in the shipping industry and I would tell them how important Liberia’s shipping interests are especially from the blue economy perspective as we strive to develop our blue economy.” Dr. Conway said.
