- Minister James calls for transformative action in marine fuel transition
Minister of Tourism, Civil Aviation, Sustainable Development and Culture, Honourable Carlos James has called in the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and other agencies, to focus more on pushing maritime companies to accelerate the transition to sustainable fuel for marine transportation.
Minister James made the call while delivering a keynote address at the Global Sustainable Islands Summit held on Thursday May 23, 2024 on Prince Edward Island. The event, co-hosted by the government of Prince Edward Island and Island Innovation, brought together a diverse group of policymakers, researchers and industry leaders to discuss and explore innovative solutions and advancements in sustainable energy.
Delivering his keynote under the theme: Travel – A catalyst for transformative action on innovation and sustainability, the Sustainable Development Minister noted that vessels polluting our oceans must transition faster to bio fuel and later zero-emission engines.
The IMO, he said, is the United Nations agency with responsibility for safety, security of shipping and the prevention of atmospheric pollution by ships, noting that they have that obligation to pressure the marine transport industry to adopt to more sustainable practices and rapidly foster innovation on a global scale.
Minister James said that while he welcomed the advisory opinion of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, which ruled on May 21 that emissions from fossil fuels and other planet-warming gases that are absorbed by the oceans count as marine pollution, there must be global pressure and sanctions to force vessels to transition.
According to Minister James, larger ships and more modern fleets are being built to run on liquefied natural gas (LNG), which burns more cleanly than traditional marine fuel, but poses greater risks for methane emissions through methane slip.
“LNG as a marine fuel emits over 120% more life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions than marine gas oil and in terms of warming effects, methane is 80 times worse over 20 years than carbon dioxide after it is released into the atmosphere, we therefore most ramp up the transition to sustainable fuel,” Minister James said.
