Liberia is chairing this year’s session of the Marine Environmental Protection Committee of the International Maritime Organization at a time when the IMO’s attention is focused on the reduction of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions in international shipping globally.
At the IMO, Liberia’s head of the Marine Environmental Protection Committee, Dr. Harry Conway, will preside over this important MEPC session, which runs from Monday, September 30, to Friday, October 4, 2024, in London.
In July of 2023, the International Maritime Organization adopted its GHG strategy, which sets a highly ambitious target to de-carbonize shipping by 2050. A delegation from Liberia, headed by Ambassador Robert Wilmot Kpadeh, Liberia’s Permanent Representative to the International Maritime Organization, will join thousands of other delegates from around the world to attend the 82nd session of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 82) in London.
The 82nd session of the MEPC, under the chairmanship of Dr. Harry Conway, Liberia’s Alternate Permanent Representative to the IMO, will convene for a weeklong meeting during which crucial matters affecting the global marine environment, particularly relating to pollution from ships operating in international waters, will be discussed.
Of the many important issues to be considered at this meeting, including harmful aquatic organisms in ballast water, air pollution prevention, energy efficiency of ships, marine plastic litter, and maritime autonomous surface ships (MASS), the reduction of GHG emissions from international ships is the top agenda item. This agenda item addresses the decarbonization of international shipping as envisaged in the 2023 IMO GHG Strategy.
The meeting, as per the implementation plan of the 2023 GHG Strategy, will receive the reports of the 17th session of the Intersessional Working Group on GHG (ISWG-GHG 17) and the Steering Committee for the conduct of a Comprehensive Impact Assessment (CIA) on ship fleets and states of the proposed basket of candidate midterm GHG reduction measures.
According to the dispatch from London, the consideration of these reports by the MEPC is critical to the Committee’s work plan to adopt a basket of candidate midterm GHG reduction measures in the autumn of 2025 if the Committee is to remain on course to meet the 2050 net zero CO2 reduction ambition of the strategy.
Liberia, being a major player in international shipping as the number one Open Registry in the world, a ‘Category-A’ member of the IMO 40-Member Council, and working to harness the full potential of its blue economy as a coastal and port state, will actively participate in discussions to ensure that the country’s economy is not negatively impacted in a disproportionate manner when the midterm measures are adopted while also identifying potential opportunities that the decarbonization of international shipping would provide for the country, especially concerning alternative fuel production and use in international shipping by 2030.
In the dispatch, Liberia’s Permanent Representative, Ambassador Kpadeh, who is leading the Liberian delegation to the high-stakes MEPC 82, expressed that the Liberian delegation is deeply pleased and proud beyond words to see Dr. Harry Conway, an eminently qualified son of Liberia, presiding over the week-long plenary of MEPC 82 as Chairman of such an important IMO Committee, given the significant task of ensuring the decarbonization of international shipping and navigating towards a path to net zero by 2050.
“I consider this a proud and monumental moment not only for the Liberian delegation here but for Liberia as a nation to see one of our own chairing a major statutory Committee at the IMO and presiding over the 82nd session of the MEPC. As a patriot, I am profoundly ecstatic and cannot express enough how proud I am to see a fellow countryman like Dr. Conway blazing the trail and raising the flag of our country, Liberia, very high on the global stage. As Permanent Representative to the IMO, he has my unflinching support, and the Liberian delegation is fully standing behind him and will be cheering him on throughout the week of the MEPC,” Ambassador Kpadeh stated.
At the same time, Ambassador Kpadeh asserted that the voice of Liberia will be echoed loudly in all discussions at the MEPC plenary during this week, potentially ensuring effective and efficient representation for the country, adding, “I will make sure the interests of Liberia and Africa are protected throughout these deliberations,” he stated.
Dr. Conway, the Chair of this year’s MEPC session, in an interview, noted that since Liberia is the first in the ship registry globally, all ships flying the Liberian flag will have to decarbonize and must use technologies that are efficient in reducing CO2, which will positively impact Liberia.
Liberia’s ports must have alternative fuels that ships stopping at its ports must use, as by that time, there will be no use of fossil fuels we are currently using, the Liberia Alternate Permanent Representative to the International Maritime Organization said.
According to Dr. Harry Conway, whatever decisions are reached at this year’s session of the Marine Environmental Protection Committee of the International Maritime Organization will impact the country in terms of shipping logistics costs.
“For example, let us assume that we have carbon pricing which puts a price on the CO2 emitted by some vessels, which means the cost of shipping to Liberia will increase. This means Liberia, as a country, including the registry, should pay attention to the ongoing discussions on how they are proceeding and what measures should be adopted that favor Liberia.”
Dr. Conway affirmed that Liberia’s team at the International Maritime Organization will be fully involved in discussions at the MEPC session to ensure that everything adopted positively impacts the country, which has the highest ship registry.
His role as Chair of the MEPC not only provides him with the opportunity to shape discussions but also allows him and his country to interact with leading maritime players worldwide, which may significantly impact Liberia’s maritime sector.
“With this position, I can speak to anybody in the shipping industry, highlighting how important Liberia’s shipping interests are, especially from the blue economy perspective as we strive to develop our own blue economy,” Dr. Conway stated.
By: Trokon Wrepue – Contributor
