Technology Cooperation News

The IMO and the European Commission (EC) have announced a second phase of the Global Maritime Technology Cooperation Centres Network (GMN) project, with funding from the EU.The aim of the second phase is to upscale the work of the five regional centres, with a particular emphasis on pilot demonstrations aimed at achieving quantifiable reductions in GHG emissions.The GMN Phase II project follows the successful Phase I which established the five Maritime Technology Cooperation Centres (MTCCs), in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Latin America and the Pacific.

A new training project will prepare seafarers for zero or near-zero emission ships, helping the global shipping industry decarbonize and ensure a just transition for seafarers.Research commissioned by the Maritime Just Transition Task Force identified that 800,000 seafarers may require additional training by the mid-2030s to operate vessels run on zero or near zero emission fuels.The training framework, funded through the IMO and Lloyd’s Register Foundation, will equip seafarers with skills in decarbonization…

Worsening diplomatic relations between the United States and China are putting a spotlight on their economic inter-dependency in the context of global supply chains for both technology and energy.Top policymakers in the United States and some of its closest allies, including Australia and Britain, have recently hardened the language in which they describe relations with China.China has been labelled a “strategic competitor” for some time but the country is increasingly described as a “strategic adversary” implying a more confrontational relationship.Complaints about unfair trade practices…

Partnerships and innovations are essential to combat climate change through reductions in GHG emissions. Norway has provided an additional NOK 40,000,000 (US$4.3. million) to the International Maritime Organization (IMO)-Norway GreenVoyage-2050 project, which will support GHG reductions in line with the IMO initial strategy for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from shipping.This supports UN SDG 13 on climate action. The project aims to assist countries to implement legal, policy and institutional reforms, build capacity and initiate and promote global efforts to demonstrate and test innovative technical solutions for reducing GHG emissions from shipping.IMO is currently in the process of selecting pioneer pilot countries…

A global network of maritime technology cooperation centers has completed an impressive array of pilot projects over the past three years, helping to drive forward the changes which are required to reduce GHG emissions from shipping.Five regional Maritime Technology Cooperation Centres (MTCCs) have been established under the Global Maritime Technology Cooperation Centers (GMN) Project, which is funded by the European Union and implemented by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the United Nations specialized agency with a remit to develop and adopt standards for safer, greener and more sustainable shipping.Between them, the MTCCs count 97 participating countries and have been working with 1…

The GMN global network of maritime technology cooperation centers has completed numerous pilot projects over the past three years, helping to drive forward the changes which are required to reduce GHG emissions from shipping. A global network of maritime technology cooperation centers has completed an impressive array of pilot projects over the past three years, helping to drive forward the changes which are required to reduce GHG emissions from shipping.Five regional Maritime…

Fifteen demonstration ships in the Asia region have, to date, provided 68,517 sets of data relating to ship fuel consumption and ship optimum trim, said International Maritime Organization (IMO).It is this kind of data-gathering and analysis that is helping the regional Maritime Technology Cooperation Center (MTCC-Asia) deliver on its commitment to promote innovative technologies and operations to improve energy efficiency in the maritime sector.MTCC-Asia - one of the centers in the IMO-led, European-Union funded Global MTCC Network (GMN) project  - held its Second Regional Workshop in Yangon, Myanmar (30 September-2 October).The data gathering project (which took data from five container ships…

International Maritime Organization (IMO) has been working with southern and eastern African countries to help implement marine environment protection measures contained in one of the organization’s flagship treaties – MARPOL.A workshop held in Mombasa, Kenya (17-19) gathered participants from 12 countries to focus on MARPOL Annexes I to V, and in particular the regulations covering garbage discharge from ships and adequacy of port reception facilities. The participating countries were - Angola, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, Somalia, South Africa, Uganda, Tanzania (United Republic of).Participants discussed factors affecting full implementation of MARPOL and its annexes…

Government and private stakeholders have expressed their support for climate action in the Caribbean, with a focus on decarbonizing the shipping sector.According to International Maritime Organization (IMO),  during a regional workshop on Capacity Building for Climate Mitigation in the Maritime Shipping Industry, held at the Chaguaramas Campus of The University of Trinidad and Tobago (1-3 July), Caribbean maritime sector committed to decarbonization.The workshop, the second for the region, was hosted by the Maritime Technology Cooperation Centre (MTCC) Caribbean - one of five regional centers established under the IMO-led, European Union-funded Global MTCC Network (GMN) project.Participants were updated on pilot projects completed by MTCC-Caribbean…

International Maritime Organization (IMO) is at the UN climate change conference in Bonn, Germany (17-27 June), where governments are meeting to work towards significantly accelerating the pace of climate action.The UN body is reporting to the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technical Advice (SBSTA 50) on the latest and ongoing work to implement the Initial IMO Strategy on reduction of GHG emissions from ships.The strategy sets out a vision confirming IMO's commitment to reducing GHG emissions from international shipping and, as a matter of urgency, to phasing them out as soon as possible in this century.Specifically, IMO has highlighted the achievements of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 74)…

A new IMO video puts the spotlight on how an IMO/EU initiative is helping cut maritime emissions in the Solomon Islands as part of a global project to help tackle climate change.When the solar-powered LED lights go on at night in the port of Honiara, Solomon Islands, they are helping the port meet IMO maritime security requirements.But these lights are also a shining example of how a global project, through regional centers, can help individual countries' ports and shipping sectors improve energy efficiency, cut emissions and clean up local air quality.

International Maritime Organization (IMO) is at the UN climate change conference (COP 24) in Poland, highlighting key elements of the Initial IMO Strategy on reduction of GHG emissions from ships.A press release from the UN-body said that the strategy sets out a vision to reduce the total annual  Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions by at least 50% by 2050 compared to 2008, while, at the same time, pursuing efforts towards phasing them out entirely. This sets a pathway of CO2 emissions reduction consistent with the Paris Agreement temperature goals.IMO reported to the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technical Advice (SBSTA 49) on the Organization’s actions and commitment to reduce emissions from international shipping…

The global network of Maritime Technology Cooperation Centres (MTCC ) is expanding with a number of branch offices and becoming an integral player in implementing International Maritime Organization (IMO)’s initial strategy on the reduction of GHG emissions from ships. This is especially true when it comes to capacity building, technical cooperation and R&D, said a press release form the United Nations agency.A 250-strong crowd attended the MTCC-Africa side-event on Capacity Building for Climate Mitigation in the Maritime Shipping Industry (27 November), during the Sustainable Blue Economy Conference in Nairobi, Kenya.Attendees included representatives from the European Union…

Practical efforts to implement ship energy-efficiency measures and promote technology transfer are an integral part of International Maritime Organization (IMO)'s initial strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from ships.A press release from the UN-body said that this is embodied in the global network for energy-efficient shipping under the Global MTCC Network (GMN) project, funded by the European Union and run by IMO.Representatives from the five Maritime Technology Cooperation Centres (MTCCs) in the GMN network recently met for their second annual meeting (22-26 October) in London, United Kingdom, on the sidelines of IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 73) meeting.Technical training for MTCC staff on energy efficiency in ship design and operations…

First stop: the Dalian Maritime University. International Maritime Organization (IMO)  Secretary-General Kitack Lim marked the start of the Master's degree programme on Maritime Safety and Environmental Management – a joint programme with the World Maritime University (WMU) during a busy visit to China (10-11 July). Lim told students the course will help to equip them to make their own contribution towards achieving key IMO objectives: helping ensure shipping can continue to serve the global population in a safe and sustainable manner. Lim went on to attend the China Maritime Day and Global Green Maritime forums, and IMO 70th Aniversary celebrations in Shanghai (photos). Here he outlined IMO’s achievement in the 70 years since the Organization was formed and 60 since it became operational.

International Maritime Organization (IMO) has reported on the recent landmark adoption of an initial IMO Strategy on reduction of GHG emissions from ships at the Bonn Climate Change Conference (30 April-10 May). IMO’s Edmund Hughes informed the opening of the plenary session that the vision set out in the strategy confirms IMO’s commitment to reducing GHG emissions from international shipping and, as a matter of urgency, to phasing them out as soon as possible in this century. Hughes also highlighted further progress on related matters, including entry into force of mandatory requirements for the collection and reporting of ship fuel oil  consumption data and the official launch of the Global Maritime Technology Cooperation Centres (MTCC) Network.

The Latin America Maritime Technology Cooperation Centre, part of a global network established under an ambitious International Maritime Organization (IMO)-European Union (EU)  project to further efforts to combat climate change, has been launched in Panama (13 March). The centre, hosted by the Universidad Marítima Internacional de Panamá (UMIP), is one of five such centres established under the GMN project, which is funded by the EU and run by IMO. The centres, in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Latin America and the Pacific regions, act as regional focal points for a wide range of activities. These include, improving compliance with existing and future international energy-efficiency regulations…

Africa has launched its maritime technology cooperation centre as part of an ambitious  International Maritime Organization (IMO)-EU project to establish a global network of centres to further global efforts in addressing climate change. The centres will act as regional focal points for a wide range of activities including improving compliance with existing and future international energy-efficiency regulations; promoting uptake of low-carbon technologies and operations in maritime transport, and establishing voluntary pilot data-collection and reporting systems to feed back into the global regulatory process. In doing so, they will play their part in supporting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Close to 240 maritime leaders and professionals will gather in Singapore to identify priority areas for international action and exchange best practices in maritime technology transfer and capacity building at the Future-Ready Shipping 2017 Conference. Jointly organised by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the conference will take place from 25th to 26th September 2017 at the Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel. Future-Ready Shipping 2017 is the second edition in the conference series which pioneered a global dialogue on maritime technology cooperation. The first, also held in Singapore in 2015…

​The progress made in starting to shape a draft comprehensive International Maritime Organization (IMO) strategy on reduction of GHG emissions from ships has been reported to the COP 23 climate change conference, meeting in Bonn, Germany (6-15 November) by IMO’s Stefan Micallef. He reported that more than 2,600 ocean-going ships have now been certified to the mandatory energy efficiency design requirements, which have been in force since 2013. The significant global reduction in the sulphur content of the fuel oil used by ships from 1 January 2020 is expected to contribute further to the reduction of GHG emissions from ships, through the anticipated resulting uptake of alternative fuels.

The Global MTTC Network (GMN) maritime technology project, run by International Maritime Organization (IMO) and funded by the European Union, was presented during a side-event (10 November) at the UN climate change conference in Bonn, Germany (COP 23). The project established a network of five regional Maritime Technology Cooperation Centres (MTCCs). Representatives of the European Union, IMO, MTCC-Caribbean and MTCC-Pacific participated at the event. MTCCs updated the audience on their pilot projects, including data collection on fuel oil consumption on ships. From 2019, ships over 5,000 gross tonnage worldwide – which account for 85% of CO2 emissions from international shipping - will be required to collect consumption data for each type of fuel oil they use…

A global network of centres of excellence in marine technology was officially launched on Monday (4 December) at the headquarters of the International Maritime Organization (IMO). The Directors of five regional Maritime Technology Cooperation Centres (MTCCs) signed a Memorandum of Understanding to establish the global maritime technology centre network. The network of MTCCS - in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Latin America and the Pacific - is the mainstay of the GMN maritime technology project, run by IMO and funded by the European Union. The MTCCs are expected to provide leadership in promoting ship energy-efficiency technologies and operations, and the reduction of harmful emissions from ships.

The Pacific region has celebrated the launch of a centre of excellence for low-carbon shipping technology, which joins centres in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and Latin America as part of a global network run by International Maritime Organization (IMO) and funded by the European Union. Through this network – the Global Maritime Technology Cooperation Centre Network (GMN) – these centres will develop and promote low-carbon maritime transport systems, supporting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Pacific centre (MTCC-Pacific) was launched in Suva, Fiji (12 December) where it will be hosted by the Pacific Community (SPC) in collaboration with the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP).