It is a pleasure for me also to welcome you to this intersessional meeting of the BLG Working Group on Air Pollution, here in Oslo in these impressive surroundings, and I would like to thank the Norwegian Environment Minister, Mrs. Helen Bjørnøy, for her kind and pertinent words and also for arranging that it snows today - quite a rare phenomenon for us, sons and daughters of the south. It is a particular pleasure to welcome you to an IMO meeting in a great maritime capital, the roots of which date back to when the Vikings ruled the waters of the known world. Today, a substantial part of the world's merchant fleet is still managed from this city and, despite being closer to the North Pole than to most of the world's markets, Norway has been among the major carriers of world trade for the last century - and as a flag, port and coastal State, one of the most active and influential of IMO Member States, as well as being a generous supporter of the Organization's technical co operation programme.

Holding this meeting outside London, while the IMO Headquarters building is undergoing a twelve-month refurbishment, is a challenge, but I have every confidence that, in such a splendid venue as the Oslo Miletaere Samfund, it will be both successful and enjoyable. My sincere gratitude goes to our hosts, the Norwegian Government, and to the Norwegian Maritime Directorate for organizing all the practical aspects. From the Secretariat's point of view, our determination to continue providing the same quality of service and the usual efficient support to all meetings scheduled to take place during the refurbishment period continues unabated.

Your meeting may, however, provide even more attractions for delegates than they may be accustomed to. For example, you will have the chance to see a number of technical presentations at the headquarters of Det Norske Veritas (DNV), while both the Norwegian Shipowners' Association and DNV will host receptions during the course of the week. So, please, Minister, don't spoil them, don't treat them too well - not only because they have a heavy agenda to go through but also they may get accustomed to it and expect equal treatment at the Albert Embankment, and then we will have to increase the budget drastically and, consequently, the contributions from the Member States - I know Norway would not mind that much!…

Minister, distinguished delegates,

Joking aside, the subject of this meeting is of an importance that cannot be underestimated. Work on the prevention of air pollution from shipping activities began at IMO in the late 1980s, leading to the adoption of Annex VI to the MARPOL Convention at a Diplomatic Conference in 1997. This was something of departure since, prior to this, the Organization's focus, along with that of national regulators and, indeed, of society as a whole, had been on more visible sources of pollution - for example, on oil spills resulting from major accidents such as the Torrey Canyon and the Amoco Cadiz, which had caused huge damage to marine life and, some would say, made for even larger headlines. The harmful long-term effects of ships' exhaust gases were not so immediately visible and were not, then, fully understood.

It took almost eight years for MARPOL Annex VI to come into force in May 2005 and, as at the beginning of the current month, it had 37 Parties representing approximately 70 per cent of the world's gross tonnage - a significant increase from the entry into force criteria of 15 States and 50% of the world's tonnage.

The 1997 Air Pollution Conference was a historic response by the Organization to the need to minimize emissions from ships and their contribution to global air pollution and environmental problems. The control of emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and sulphur oxides (SOx) was especially subject to extensive discussion because several delegations, at the time, were concerned that the NOx emission limits in Annex VI were very modest, seen in the light of what the then available technology would allow. As a result, the Conference requested the MEPC to review the NOx emission limits laid down in the treaty instrument at a minimum of five-year intervals after the entry into force of the Annex and, if appropriate, to amend them so as to ensure more stringent controls.

It is worth mentioning here that a recent European Commission inventory indicates that shipping's contribution to air emissions is very low - with road transport, domestic heating and agriculture accounting for some 90% of emissions and other sectors, including shipping, coming in at less than 10%. Statistics such as these should not, however, allow us to become complacent because, as shipping grows - in line with the needs of world trade and the global economy - the relative contribution of ship emissions to air quality problems is also increasing and is becoming more conspicuous. Indeed, it has been reported that, if the trend continues, in 15 to 20 years' time shipping may become the biggest single source of sulphur and particulate emissions along the exposed coasts of Europe and the United States.

The good news here is that various technological advances, already in existence, would enable the standards required by MARPOL Annex VI to be raised. And, while the biggest potential for improvement appears to lie with new engines, there is also the possibility of making significant improvements with existing ones, too. In fact, leading engine manufacturers have revealed that significant emission reductions can be achieved from engines made before the year 2000, through upgrades that can be carried out during routine maintenance.

It was in the light of such welcome technological developments that MEPC 53, in July 2005, agreed that MARPOL Annex VI should undergo a general revision, and the task was placed on the work programme of the Sub-Committee on Bulk Liquids and Gases (BLG), which entrusted it to this Working Group.

The revision of Annex VI, the NOx Technical Code and the associated guidelines is a major task IMO has set to achieve in the current biennium and the target completion date of 2007 is now rapidly approaching. Your work, therefore, is of the utmost importance, not only for IMO but also for the entire shipping industry and our joint efforts to show unequivocally that the maritime sector takes environmental problems seriously and does so responsibly and as proactively as is practicably possible. And your deliberations, here in Oslo, present you with an opportunity to take a precautionary approach to our challenges - as is expected of us by Governments and the public at large - and to demonstrate that the shipping industry embraces fully its corporate responsibilities.

These strategic aims were very much in our minds when, in April of this year, the tenth session of the BLG Sub-Committee embarked on the actual revision work, establishing your Working Group under the chairmanship of Mr. Bryan Wood-Thomas of the United States - and I would like to thank you, Mr. Chairman, for the very productive start the Group made during that session, as well as the two Correspondence Groups established thereafter, which have provided valuable input that, I am confident, will facilitate further progress at this session.
In this context, I understand that, in launching the revision of Annex VI, several of its Parties had in mind certain additional suggestions to make, such as the possible inclusion of regulations on particulate matters, which are not currently addressed but which, because of our growing understanding of their adverse impact on the environment and on human health, should be dealt with in the context of the MARPOL Convention, as the single, global legal instrument dealing with the prevention of ship sourced pollution of the environment. In the meantime, the MEPC has received proposals for more than 70 Unified Interpretations to MARPOL Annex VI and the NOx Technical Code, at a time when the Secretariat was also receiving numerous requests from the shipping industry for clarifications. I believe that these are indications that the present texts require, not only updating, but also clarity to facilitate the translation of their provisions into practical implementation aboard ships.

Against this background, therefore, I am confident that you will make every effort to ensure that the output of your work this week is more comprehensive, user friendly and easier for the shipping industry to understand and implement, and for Member States and recognized organizations to enforce. In so doing, let us not forget that shipping is, overall, an environmentally-friendly mode of transport and that IMO, in concert with the shipping industry and interested organizations, has adopted many important measures to ensure that that continues to be the case. Nonetheless, it is important to recall, in the context of your work, that science is now demonstrating that a significant share of marine diesel engine emissions occurs along coastlines, and that air emissions travel over much longer distances than earlier realized. These facts should galvanize the entire maritime community into prompt and appropriate action - and that is precisely what has happened and the reason why you are here in Oslo.

Minister, Chairman, distinguished delegates,

I would now like to turn, for a moment, to the issue of fuel. As you know, the burning of residual fuel by ships has been regarded as an energy-effective and advantageous way to make the most of crude oil. The benefit to society and to the global economy is cheap transport. Nevertheless, its use brings with it significant problems in terms of air quality and ships have to treat it on board before it can be used, creating huge quantities of waste to be disposed of in shore-based reception facilities, which, in turn, presents challenges for port authorities. Also, impurities in residual fuel oil and problems with fuel quality, in general, too often lead to engine breakdowns, with all that this entails for safe and uninterrupted navigation and the safety of life and property at sea and the protection of the marine environment.

The fact that ships' emissions can be significantly reduced by turning to cleaner fuels is, of course, self-evident - which is why a requirement for clean fuel has been the first step in almost all countries that, in an effort to reduce air pollution, have targeted international shipping calling in their ports or transiting their coastal waters. However, the establishment of different sulphur limits in different ports or waters, through national or regional regulation, is potentially problematic; ships may have to carry several different fuel types, requiring separate tanks and piping, while the possibility of human error during fuel change-over has a clear safety implication.

In this regard, you will consider a proposal to introduce, in the revised MARPOL Annex VI, a requirement replacing the use of residual fuel with a single type of clean distillate. I am informed that the target is, in principle, obtainable - although much would depend on the refining industry - and that the proposal might possibly represent the only 'catch all' solution to significantly reduce most of the harmful emissions contained in ships' exhausts. Environmentally attractive as the proposal may be, it would, however, make sense if it were pursued in a holistic manner, also involving engine manufacturers and oil producers, so that all of its parameters are taken into account at the appropriate time. It is also argued that the use of only one type of distillate fuel would simplify the monitoring and regulation of fuel oil quality, and that would make it welcomed by ships' crews worldwide, as it could make their jobs easier and cleaner.

Put in such terms - and seen against the IMO mission statement of safe, secure and efficient shipping on clean oceans - the proposal may be as significant a change as when ships first changed from coal to oil. I have no doubt, therefore, that you will give the proposal before you thorough consideration so that subsequent discussions and decision-making in the BLG Sub-Committee and the MEPC may be facilitated, with a view to ensuring the best possible outcome.

Minister, distinguished delegates,

Before concluding, I would like to inform you that, last week, the Council of the Organization unanimously approved my proposal that the theme for World Maritime Day, in 2007, should be "IMO's response to current environmental challenges". This will give us the opportunity - at a time when the focus of the society is increasingly turned to the absolute imperative of finding sustainable and lasting solutions to redress the negative impact of human activity on the environment - to show that the maritime sector is already at the forefront of that challenge, being sensitive to environmental issues, and caring.

IMO has adopted a wide range of measures to prevent and control any pollution caused by ships and to mitigate the effects of any damage caused. Instruments such as the MARPOL and OPRC Conventions; the compensation regimes in the CLC, FUND, HNS and Bunkers Conventions; the newer standards on ships' anti-fouling systems and ballast water management; the emerging regulations on ship recycling and wreck removal; and your own work on the reduction of ships' emissions, are all proof positive of the permanent determination of Governments and the industry to reduce to the barest minimum the impact that shipping may have on our fragile environment.

In achieving that goal, however, it is not sufficient to adopt high standards. The treaty or other instruments that contain them have to be ratified and translated into national legislation and they have to be implemented effectively and uniformly throughout the world and, equally important, they have to be enforced.

It is for this reason that I wish to take this opportunity to congratulate Norway for often being among the very first to ratify new conventions, usually after having been in the vanguard of their development and adoption. And it was with great satisfaction that I learned that you, Minister, have made all the necessary arrangements for Norway's ratification of the 2004 Ballast Water Management Convention, for which I thank you most sincerely.

That good news aside, however, I remain very concerned at the slow pace of ratification of conventions already in place. And at the risk of being repetitive, I will not miss this opportunity to ask you, once again, distinguished delegates, to exert whatever influence you can back home to have all the environment-related IMO instruments ratified without further delay. My concern, in this particular area, is threefold:

For all these, and possibly other reasons, I would encourage early action so that the maritime community may not be accused of neglecting its duty towards this beautiful planet, which, it seems to me, we have neglected to protect for some considerable time and which it is our undeniable responsibility to preserve for future generations.

You, who are involved daily in maritime transport matters, know that shipping has a good track record and a good story to tell in this regard - which is precisely why I proposed an environmental theme for next year's World Maritime Day. Conversely, the public's image of shipping is, unfortunately, not yet as sanguine and its negative views of the industry and its regulators, following accidents that cause pollution, continue, in my view, to be unfair. Shipping is there not only when something goes wrong - very rarely in our days - but 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.

So, we must work together on several fronts to counter-balance such views by putting in place ever higher standards for a quality industry determined to be proactive in its approach to environmental issues; by continuously increasing public awareness of our goals and achievements; and by always extolling shipping's environmental credentials and the role it fulfils as the common public good that it undoubtedly is.

Minister, distinguished delegates,

Of the extensive number of items in your Terms of Reference, I have highlighted just a few; but I have no doubt that you will rise to the challenge and that, with the usual spirit of co operation and under the able leadership of your Chairman, you will take sound decisions and produce satisfactory results that will serve well the cause of marine environmental protection and the interests of the world maritime community, which Igor Ponomarev so loyally and efficiently served until his untimely death two weeks ago.

Thank you.