The 20th meeting of the IMO Intersessional Working Group on Reduction of GHG Emissions from Ships

The initial task of the Working Group, in which Alexander Reutsky, Principal Specialist for R & D Department of the RS, actively participated, was to develop a set of associated guidelines related to the amendments to MARPOL within the framework of the IMO's Net-Zero Framework, which the MEPC was supposed to have adopted the previous week.

Given that the relevant MARPOL amendments were not adopted, the Intersessional Working Group nevertheless commenced the development of the corresponding guidelines. In particular, the scope of the documents under development covers:

• recognition of sustainable marine fuel certification schemes,
• use of zero and near-zero emission marine fuels and technologies,
• calculation of Greenhouse Gas Fuel Intensity,
• reporting and submission of information to the IMO,
• life cycle GHG/carbon intensity assessment of marine fuels, and others.

All decisions made and all documents developed by the Working Group will be subject to consideration by the MEPC, depending on the decisions the Committee will make in 2026 regarding the aforementioned amendments to MARPOL.

Additionally, the Group initiated the development of the terms of reference for the next comprehensive IMO GHG Study. It is expected that the results of this study, which is planned to be conducted in the coming years, will form the basis for refining the current MARPOL carbon intensity requirements, as well as prospective requirements within the implementation of the 2023 IMO GHG Strategy.

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.