The seventy-nineth session of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 79) was held from 12 to 16 December 2022. A summary of the discussions and the decisions taken at MEPC 79 is provided as below for your information.

1. Greenhouse Gases (GHG) emission reduction measures
Reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to address global warming is a universal challenge, and the measures to reduce GHG emissions from international shipping have been deliberated at IMO. Such measures introduced at the IMO so far include the regulation of "Energy Efficiency Design/Existing Ship Index" (EEDI/EEXI), retaining of the "Ship Energy Efficiency Management Plan" (SEEMP) onboard, and rating by "Carbon Intensity Indicator" (CII).

Furthermore, taking the adoption of the Initial IMO Strategy on the reduction of GHG emissions from ships, which includes the emission reduction target and the candidate measures to reduce GHG emissions, the IMO continues to discuss on measures to reduce GHG emissions in order to decarbonize the international shipping.

(1) Amendments to the Guidelines on the method of calculation of the attained EEDI for new ships
Taking the increasing demand for using ethane as a ship fuel, particularly for ethane carriers, 2022 Guidelines on the method of calculation of the attained EEDI for new ships were adopted to include the lower calorific value and conversion factor (CF) of ethane.
(Refer to Res. MEPC.364(79) as attachment 4)

(2) Amendments to the Guidelines on survey and certification of the EEDI
The calculation of EEDI requires the calculation of ship speed based on the speed trial results, by assuming that the weather is calm with no wind and no waves. The current Guidelines on survey and certification of the EEDI refers to ITTC Recommended Procedure 7.5-04-01-01.1 Speed and Power Trials 2017 (hereafter referred to as 2017 ITTC Procedure) or ISO 15016:2015 for determining ship speed taking into account the external effects (wind, current, waves, shallow water, displacement, water temperature and water density).

(To be continued)