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CLIA ACC: Environmental Sustainability: Targets, Instruments and Fuels

CLIA ACC · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.

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Environmental Sustainability: Targets, Instruments and Fuels

The Environmental Sustainability domain tests your grasp of the climate and pollution framework applying to cruise ships, the difference between global and regional rules, and what CLIA member lines have committed to. Expect scenario questions set in a named sea area or a given year.

Climate instruments

  • IMO GHG Strategy (2023): net-zero from international shipping around 2050, with indicative checkpoints of 20–30% reduction by 2030 and 70–80% by 2040 against a 2008 baseline.
  • EEXI and CII applied from 1 January 2023: EEXI is a one-off design efficiency index; CII is an annual operational carbon-intensity rating (A–E). EEDI applies to newbuildings only.
  • Regional market measures: the EU Emissions Trading System extended to maritime from 2024 with a phase-in of surrendered allowances, and FuelEU Maritime from 2025. These sit alongside, not instead of, IMO measures.
  • IMO Net-Zero Framework: approved in principle at MEPC 83 in 2025, combining a GHG fuel-intensity standard with a universal emissions price; adoption and entry into force depend on the scheduled extraordinary MEPC session, so treat effective dates as provisional.

Air, water and waste

  • Global sulphur cap 0.50%; Emission Control Areas 0.10% (Baltic, North Sea, North American, US Caribbean, and the Mediterranean from 1 May 2025).
  • Approved equivalent methods such as scrubbers remain lawful where permitted.
  • MARPOL Annex V governs garbage; the Ballast Water Management Convention governs ballast; a heavy fuel oil ban applies in Arctic waters with waivers.
  • Shoreside power connection is a port-side lever, requiring both ship and berth investment.

Worked example

A ship burns 0.50% sulphur fuel in the Mediterranean in 2026. Reasoning: 0.50% is the global cap, but the Mediterranean became a sulphur ECA on 1 May 2025 at 0.10%. The ship is non-compliant unless it uses compliant fuel, an approved equivalent method, or shoreside power while alongside.

Traps that cost marks

  • Mixing EEDI, EEXI and CII.
  • Treating LNG as zero-carbon rather than a lower-carbon transition fuel.
  • Confusing EU ETS with IMO instruments.
  • Assuming scrubbers are banned rather than restricted by national/port rules.