The shipping industry needs to move to renewable and alternative fuels to reduce the sector's impact on the environment.

But there is no widely available fuel to manage climate change and local pollutants according to a recent study by researchers at The University of Manchester.

How the shipping industry's need to radically reduce its CO2 emissions will a prominent discussion when the International Maritime Organisation's Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) meets in London from 9-13 April.

The research team says there is a need for alternative fuels in shipping for two main reasons; to reduce local pollutants and comply with regulation and; to mitigate against climate change and cut greenhouse gas emissions.

"With most owner/operators expected to switch to more expensive distillate fuels, estimates from the OECD are the 2020 requirements could add annual total costs up to USD 30 billion for the container shipping industry," said McNamara.

"But one has to ask, what is the cost to the planet if environmental issues aren't tackled?"

But there will also be a dizzying increase in the choice of available marine fuels, which even today is greater than ever.

The  International Maritime Organisation (IMO) will begin talks in  London on Tuesday to discuss proposals to limit and reduce emissions by ships.

This might also be the deciding year for  India to initiate steps to limit the increasing problem of emissions of greenhouse gases from maritime transportation, experts said on Sunday.

India has been  one of the earliest members of the IMO, having ratified its convention and joined it as a member-state in 1959.

"Since 2016 uptil now, there have been several arguments made for and against an ambitious target. A more conservative approach led by  China and supported by  India and  Brazil calls the targets to be data driven and for the adoption of a common but differentiated, responsibilities principle as it is in the  Paris Agreement," an Indian negotiator, who is attending the  London meeting, told IANS.

Global shipping fuel costs are likely to rise by a quarter, or $24 billion, in 2020 when new rules limiting sulphur kick in, consultants Wood Mackenzie said on Wednesday.

 

The ballooning costs will come as the change in regulations forces a portion of the world's fleet to switch to lower sulphur, but higher cost, fuels such as marine gasoil (MGO) and ultra low sulphur fuel oil.

 

The International Maritime Organization's (IMO) rules targeting air pollution will cut the maximum amount of sulphur emissions that ships worldwide can burn to 0.5 percent of fuel content by 2020, from 3.5 percent currently.

The Port of Long Beach, Calif., kicked off a pilot project introducing zero-emission electric cranes and hybrid vehicles for cargo handling, part of an aggressive plan to reduce air pollution there and the nearby Port of Los Angeles by 2030.

The state that has the strictest air pollution limits for cars is likewise leading a push to cut emissions at its seaports, a policy that has West Coast workboat operators, designers and shipbuilders pressing forward with Tier 4 diesel engines and hybrid electric propulsion in their latest projects.

A $9.7 million grant from the California Energy Commission is funding the one-year project at Long Beach, which will bring 25 vehicles that are zero- or near zero-emissions to marine terminals to test their performance in a real-world setting. The launch event was held at Pacific Container Terminal at Long Beach's Pier J - operated by SSA Terminals - one of three terminals participating in the project.

When almost all the world's governments agreed in Paris more than two years ago to address climate change, they sidestepped an important issue: carbon emissions from international shipping. Next week in London, they have a chance to put this right.

Shipping is by far the most energy-efficient mode of transport, and it moves some 80 percent of world trade by volume. However, the fuel it uses is hard on the environment and human health - and ships last a long time, so deploying cleaner fleets takes time.

Already, international shipping accounts for about as much carbon dioxide each year as Germany's whole economy. On current trends, its share of the total will rise quickly. It could account for roughly 15 percent of the global carbon budget set by the Paris accord for 2050.

The current debate at the IMO and MEPC is attempting to focus on reducing the volumes of CO2 the escape from the exhausts of commercial ships.

Many attempts have been made in recent years in this regard including installing scrubbers on the ship's funnels, turning ship's main engines off in port and burning lower carbonized fuel in certain coastal waters.

The current debate arises from the so-called Paris Agreement on climate change which was endorsed by most countries but provided no enforcement.

It is important to note that the IMO/MEPC have no ability to enforce any actions that are voted on and it will be up to the individual nations to impose any rules or restrictions covering ship's exhausts. Furthermore a majority of the ships themselves and their owning companies are not located in nations that participated in the Paris Agreement.