IMO and IAPH Collaborate to Support Reducing GHG Emissions
A new strategic partnership is being launched to strengthen cooperation between ships and ports to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH), a global alliance of 170 ports and 140 port-related organizations in 90 countries, is becoming a strategic partner with the GreenVoyage2050 Project, a partnership project between the Government of Norway and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) assisting with the transformation of the shipping industry towards a lower carbon future.
The GreenVoyage2050 Project aims to support developing countries to meet their commitment towards relevant climate change and energy efficiency goals as specified in the IMO’s strategy for the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from ships. The partnership will collaborate to jointly deliver technical cooperation and capacity-building activities to support the implementation of the IMO resolution that encourages voluntary cooperation between ships and ports to cut GHG emissions.
IAPH Managing Director Patrick Verhoeven commented: “We are delighted to embark on the GreenVoyage2050 project as a strategic partner. IAPH has already actively worked together with the IMO’s Marine Environment Division on the GEF-UNDP-IMO Global maritime energy efficiency partnerships (GloMEEP) project. We look forward to having our experts from the IAPH Climate and Energy Technical Committee join colleagues on the GreenVoyage2050 Project to assist member state countries on emissions reduction initiatives related to ports.”
IAPH and GreenVoyage2050 will jointly develop several workshop packages on sustainable ports, exploring potential measures and incentives in the port to reduce GHG emissions. These workshops will then be rolled out at selected ports from 12 countries from Asia, Africa, the Black Sea / Caspian Sea, Caribbean, Latin America, and the Pacific as part of the GreenVoyage2050 plan to expand port management capacities in those six priority regions.
The collaboration will also develop dedicated training materials on Onshore Power Supply (OPS), supporting ports to assess the viability and key considerations that need to be thought through before making any investments.
The partnership aims to demonstrate how efforts in port can support overall reductions in emissions from shipping and help achieve the IMO’s goals for the reduction of GHG emissions from ships.
The collaboration with IAPH builds upon the successful strategic partnership established between IAPH and the GloMEEP Project, which ended in December 2019. A port emissions toolkit was developed and rolled out to developing countries, which provides guidance for ports wishing to develop port-specific emissions inventories and emissions reduction strategies.