LONDON: April 23, 2016. A committee of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has approved mandatory requirements for ships of over 5,000 gross tons to record and report their fuel consumption from 2018.

Under the proposed system, ships will be required to collect consumption data for each type of fuel they use and the aggregated data would be reported to the flag State in order to issue a subsequent Statement of Compliance.

The data collection is intended to provide what the IMO describes as “an objective, transparent and inclusive policy debate” in its Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC). However the data would be anonymous so individual ships would not be recognized.

MO secretary-general Kitack Lim said the proposal is a significant contribution to mitigate climate change: “It has been very encouraging to see States which had previously found it difficult to reach binding agreement on climate change measures bring the spirit of the Paris Agreement to [the] IMO this week.

"The unanimous agreement to take forward a mandatory data collection system for ships’ fuel consumption is a significant step. It will provide a solid basis on which to consider, armed with information, whether further measures may be required in future to mitigate GHG emissions from shipping,” Lim added.

As a result of adopting mandatory energy efficiency standards for newbuilds from 2013, the IMO says the global shipping industry will see a 30 percent overall energy improvement by 2025.

“The work in the MEPC this week shows IMO’s strong commitment, as the global regulator of the shipping industry, to continue its work to address GHG emissions from ships engaged in international trade. IMO has a major role to play in ensuring that the positive momentum towards climate change mitigation is translated into tangible and lasting improvements in people’s lives,” Lim said.