Low carbon shipping: Consideration of the applicability of IMO greenhouse gas regulations to warships

In December 2003, the International Maritime Organisation Assembly adopted resolution A.963(23) on policies aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) from international maritime commercial shipping. The outcomes to date are three policies; the " Energy Efficiency Design Index " (EEDI), the " Ship Energy Efficiency Management Plan" (SEEMP) and the " Energy Efficiency Operational Indicator" (EEOI). The first two of these were included in MARPOL Annex VI Chapter 4 in July 2011 at MEPC 62 and apply to certain types of commercial ships. Although warships are exempt from IMO regulations, many navies throughout the world strive to meet IMO environmental regulations. As most navies are a reflection of their governments" policy, environmental stewardship is generally held as a high priority for navies during peacetime operations. This paper explores if and how the EEDI and SEEMP can be applied to warships.