The International Maritime Organization has released the guidelines for safe operation of shore power for ships, which were developed under the leader

Recently, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) officially released in the form of a circular letter the "Interim Guidelines for Safe Operation of Shore Electricity for International Navigation Ships in Port" (referred to as the "Guidelines"), which was led by China. The Guidelines include six parts: general principles, verification testing, operation, safety precautions, document recording, and personnel requirements. They provide a globally unified safety operation standard for the use of shore power by international navigation vessels in port, successfully filling the gap in this field for IMO.

The Guidelines are led by the Guangdong Maritime Safety Administration and jointly developed with relevant industry units, fully absorbing the experience of safe operation of shore power for ships docking in China and the beneficial practices of international peers. The project was approved and included in the work plan at the MSC98 meeting held by IMO in 2017. Subsequently, it went through multiple IMO meetings for review and was finalized at the SSE9 meeting held recently. It was then approved and released at the MSC107 meeting, taking a total of 6 years.

The use of shore power during ship berthing is an important measure for controlling atmospheric pollutant emissions and reducing greenhouse gas emissions from ships, which contributes to the implementation of IMO's ship greenhouse gas reduction strategy. The release of the Guidelines marks another significant achievement for China in enhancing its international maritime institutional discourse and influence. It will also provide strong support for China to successfully achieve its strategic goals of "carbon peak" by 2030 and "carbon neutrality" by 2060, promote the green development of world shipping, and promote global energy conservation and emission reduction.