DIPLOMATS and industry boffins thinking about how to decarbonise shipping would do well not to forget how this looks from Africa.

The continent’s shipping companies lack access to traditional ship finance, international markets and have some of the oldest ships around. They are “simply not ready” for decarbonisation.

Ghana Chamber of Shipping president Stanley Ahorlu has lamented African states’ lack of preparation for the big shock at the MEPC in October.

Both sides in the carbon price debate tried carrots and sticks to convince African states to their side.

Rumours swirled at MEPC about the presence of delegates from several small countries that do not usually attend, and who may have persuaded (or even paid for) them to show up.

The No camp argues a tax would drive up food costs, while the Yes camp plays up the potential investment to be had making green fuels in places such as Namibia.

Ahorlu said African states should have done their homework and argued with one voice, combining their diplomatic strength the way the EU does (or at least did).

Researchers at UCL have done plenty of work on how something like a carbon levy would hit poorer countries and how redistribution could mitigate the ill effects. But on the world stage, the political debate on such effects and what to do about them is nowhere near settled.

Industry groups tend to avoid the subject altogether, since companies would rather keep the tax proceeds for themselves, and fear the system turning into a massive slush fund.

Africa isn’t one country with one united maritime interest. But more intra-African shortsea shipping (on newer, safer, more efficient ships) would help its people prosper.

My hunch is that it is up to the West and China to solve the problem of green shipping and make it viable at home first, then export the model like it is a cheap solar panel.

But better representation for Africa at IMO and elsewhere would help stop its nations — who have the most to lose from climate change, and from botched efforts to fix it — being used as pawns in the great-power politics of the moment.

Declan Bush
Senior reporter, Lloyd’s List

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