Lam Sai-hung urges reducing carbon emissions from maritime transportation

In the Action Plan on Maritime and Port Development Strategy published in December last year, it is stated that the Government will follow the target set by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to achieve zero greenhouse gas emissions from international shipping by 2050 and beyond.

The Secretary for Transport and Logistics, Lam Sai-hung, noted today (July 20) that the recent launch of two new initiatives by the relevant departments to help reduce carbon emissions from the shipping industry had enabled Hong Kong to take an important step forward in the road to green shipping and green port development.

On June 28, the Marine Department (MD) launched the world's first green incentive scheme based on the Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) rating. All eligible Hong Kong-registered ships with a transport volume of 5,000 gross tonnage or above will be eligible for green incentives if they meet the CII rating of A or B set by the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

Each eligible Hong Kong-registered ship will receive HK$20,000 per year from 2024 to 2026.

The government has allocated HK$65 million in the 2024-2025 Budget to implement this measure. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) also issued a circular to all member states on 27 June 2024 announcing the launch of the scheme by the HKSAR Government.