Outcomes of the IMO Working Group on Reduction of GHG Emissions from Ships
Russian Maritime Register of Shipping (RS), represented by Alexey Serov, Principal Specialist of the Rules Development Department, and Alexander Reutskii, Principal R&D Specialist, took part in the 22nd session of Intersessional Working Group on Reduction of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions from Ships (ISWG-GHG 22).
The Group continued active discussions on mid-term measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from ships, with a view to reaching consensus on key elements of the draft amendments to MARPOL Annex VI.
The discussions focused primarily on the development of mid-term measures to implement the 2023 IMO GHG Strategy, including:
- developing guidelines on the calculation, reporting, verification and certification under the system based on GHG Fuel Intensity (GFI), which shifts the regulatory focus from a ship's operational efficiency to the GHG intensity of the fuel it uses;
- developing feasible pathways for reducing GFI;
- establishing approaches to compliance with GFI requirements;
- establishing an IMO financial mechanism under the IMO Net-Zero Framework, based on the well-to-wake (WtW) methodology for GHG accounting;
- assessing life-cycle GHG emissions for all marine fuels and establishing a directly linked reward mechanism for the use of zero or near-zero (ZNZ) emission fuels and energy sources.
The participants were unable to reach consensus on most agenda items. The proposed launch of the IMO financial mechanism, which would require payments in respect of GHG emissions from ships, proved particularly contentious. The Group therefore agreed to continue deliberations during the intersessional period.
The next session of the Working Group is scheduled for November 23-27, 2026.
Additional information:
Founded in 1913, Russian Maritime Register of Shipping (RS) is a world-renowned classification society that operates within all spheres of the maritime industry with the goal of improving the operational and environmental safety of marine transportation. RS reviews technical documentation, surveys ships and offshore facilities under construction and in service, certifies vessels and companies for compliance with international conventions, recognizes and certifies industrial products and manufacturers, certifies quality management systems for compliance with international and national standards.
Today, RS is actively expanding its scope of services in the field of engineering and consulting, the development of technical documentation for vessels in service, marine warranty surveys, management system certification and recognition of manufacturers. In addition, RS surveys all container types, including tank containers and offshore containers, confirms compliance of packaging for dangerous goods, as well as renders services on the declaration and certification of dangerous goods and bulk cargoes.
