LONDON, March 12 (Reuters) – The International Maritime Organization (IMO), the United Nations’shipping agency, has closed its headquarters in London and postponed a session of its Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC).
The IMO said the moves followed an assessment on Wednesday by the World Health Organization, which said the virus can be characterized as a pandemic. It added that IMO staff were working from home where possible.
The key MEPC committee was meant to have convened on March 30-April 3 to discuss measures to cut carbon emissions from shipping.
The IMO has already postponed other meetings in March due to the virus.
IMO postpones further meetings due to COVID-19: https://t.co/V43i0ysNPc #CoronaVirusUpdate #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/8CuflDsmEZ
— IMO (@IMOHQ) March 12, 2020
Global shipping accounts for 2.2% of the world’s CO2 emissions, and the industry is under pressure to reduce those and other pollution. About 90% of world trade is transported by sea. (Reporting by Jonathan Saul; Editing by Jan Harvey and Kevin Liffey)
(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2019.Updated: November 18, 2020 (Originally published March 12, 2020)
This article contains reporting from Reuters, published under license.
Sign up for gCaptain’s newsletter and never miss an update
Essential maritime and offshore news, insights, and updates delivered daily straight to your inbox
At least four seafarers have reportedly been killed in an attack on a tug operating near the Strait of Hormuz, prompting a warning from the head of the International Maritime Organization that civilian...
The International Labour Organization (ILO), the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), and the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) marked the 20th anniversary of the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) this week with a renewed push to strengthen...
The latest session of the IMO’s Pollution Prevention and Response Sub-Committee didn’t deliver sweeping new rules, but beneath the technical drafting work, PPR 13 signaled a clear shift toward performance-based environmental oversight. From biofouling and Arctic black carbon to scrubber discharges and low-load engine certification, the focus is moving beyond installed equipment to how ships are actually operated, maintained, and managed over their full lifecycle.
Subscribe to gCaptain Daily and stay informed with the latest global maritime and offshore news
Essential news coupled with the finest maritime content sourced from across the globe.
Sign Up
Join The Club
