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October 2011 www.sname.org/sname/mt EEDI, SEEMP, and EEOI, which are interim at present, and the development of a set of guidelines on survey and certication of the EEDI and another set for determining mini- mum propulsion power and speed to ensure safe maneuvering in adverse weather condi- tions. is work will start in earnest and draft versions of the above will be considered by an intersessional working group on energy eciency measures for ships, due to meet in London in February/March 2012, whose nd- ings will be considered by MEPC 63 shortly thereafter for approval. It has taken a long time for the interna- tional maritime community to agree?albeit not by consensus as is customary in IMO?on a set of global standards that represent a solid start in the ght against climate change and global warming as far as international ship- ping is concerned. e path has been plagued by technical diculties and political hurdles, the latter of which can be held responsible for most of the delays and confrontations that have tested IMO members and industry stakeholders to the limit over the past decade. However, no matter how trying the process may have been, a most important milestone has now been reached and we can look for- ward to building on the foundation provided by the new global regulations in pursuit of an even more environmentally-friendly ship- ping industry than exists at present. Environmental considerations aside, the fact that the implementation of the regula- tions will bring about a substantial reduction in fuel consumption for the same transport work should provide a clear incentive to ship owners and operators to immediately apply as many of the large number of possible oper- ational reduction measures as is practical. It should also drive owners and operators who are ordering new ships to work closely with ship designers and builders without waiting for the new requirements, in particular those relating to the EEDI, to enter into force. Crucially, the new regime will also pres- ent naval architects and marine engineers with some of the most important techni- cal challenges of recent times, challenges that these professions will be expected to face head on in order to nd the necessary solutions. e fact that the EEDI is non-pre- scriptive and performance-based unlocks a large window of opportunity for ingenuity and technological innovation, which should bring ship design and construction to hith- erto unattained levels of excellence. MTMiguel Palomares is former director of the Marine Environ- ment Division of the International Maritime Organization.