IMO 2020 has started the third revolution in the shipping industry. That revolution will be completed once oceangoing zero-emission vessels (ZEVs) replace the current fossil-fuel-powered ships. At that point, the ongoing effort will join the ranks of history with the two previous revolutions: the replacement of sail by steamers, and of coal by oil. IMO 2020 is a clear-cut regulation attacking one toxic gas—SOx—with two main weapons—compliant fuels and scrubbers—supported by “armies” across the world—the maritime and port authorities of each country that has ratified MARPOL Annex VI—and with one main objective—to save lives by reducing morbidity and premature deaths. The IMO has done great work in the approval of the sulphur regulation but three main mistakes were made, which left the risks too high. However, for the sake of the maritime sector, let’s hope that such a scenario does not take place and that the cap on sulphur is smoothly implemented.
After IMO 2020 comes the decarbonization of the shipping industry. Between both, some links sometimes behave labyrinthically, almost like forcing the reader to follow an imaginary Ariadne’s thread to find the interconnections, but it is undeniable that the decarbonization agenda is much more far-reaching. The 60 billion US dollars yearly that IMO 2020 may cost will be much higher since it will require carbon-neutral fuels, some of which are just in their infancy. Now it will be the reduction of not only one toxic gas—SOx—but the reduction of a group of them, led by the most common of all, CO2. IMO 2020 can help the decarbonization of the shipping industry greatly by reminding the IMO and the governments that an IMO 2035 or IMO 2040 will force all newbuilds to be ZEVs from that date forward.
The book would be of interest in the shipping industry, in a broader perspective anybody interested in international trade, logistics, supply chain, environment, and climate change. The author approached the book from an unusual perspective. Knowing that the topic is extremely technical, he narrated the main issues in a story-telling way, almost like trying to create a novel in which the “plot” was developing from one chapter to the other, despite that the topic was entirely non-fictional.