Industry group backs global carbon price for large ships

A major maritime industry association has backed plans for a global surcharge on carbon emissions from shipping to help fund the sector’s shift toward climate-friendly fuels

BERLIN -- A major maritime industry association on Monday backed plans for a global surcharge on carbon emissions from shipping to help fund the sector's shift toward climate-friendly fuels. The International Chamber of Shipping said it's proposing to the United Nations that all vessels trading globally above a certain size should pay a set amount per metric ton of carbon dioxide they emit. Environmental groups welcomed the proposal to the the International Maritime Organization, a U.N. body, but cautioned that it doesn't specify what carbon price would be supported by the group, which represents commercial shipowners and operators covering over 80% of the world merchant fleet. “We will know they are serious about real progress when they embrace a level of ambition consistent with what climate vulnerable island nations have already proposed,” said Aoife O’Leary, director of global transportation at the Environmental Defense Fund.