The International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the Norwegian government have launched a new project that will aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from shipping.
Dubbed GreenVoyage-2050, the project was launched on May 13 and will initiate and promote global efforts to demonstrate and test technical solutions for reducing GHG emissions.
Another aim of the project is to enhance knowledge and information sharing to support the IMO GHG reduction strategy .
GreenVoyage-2050 will run for an initial two-year period, with over 50 countries in 14 sub-regions across the globe expected to take part. Strategic partners from the private sector will contribute expertise and experience.
The project will also build capacity in developing countries, including small island developing states (SIDS) and least developed countries (LDCs), to fulfill their commitments to meet climate-change and energy-efficiency goals for international shipping.
Initially, eight countries, from five high-priority regions (Asia, Africa, Caribbean, Latin America and Pacific), are expected to take pilot roles, to pursue and undertake actions at the national level.
The Norwegian government will support the project with NOK 10 million (USD 1.1 million) for the initial two years. Subject to government approval, Norway will commit to providing additional funding for 2020 and for the subsequent years of the project to achieve the overall goals.
According to IMO, GreenVoyage-2050 will eventually be scaled-up vertically, to include more technology demonstration and infrastructure efforts, and horizontally, to have more pilot countries joining the project, through mobilizing additional resources.
Partnerships with existing programs, such as Norway’s Green Shipping Program, will be explored, it was further said.