THE International Maritime Organization is resuming talks on the safety of alternative fuels.

This week’s Maritime Safety Committee meeting, MSC109, will see states conduct a more in-depth study supporting the IMO’s work on its totemic greenhouse gas strategy.

“This will involve the assessment of alternative fuels and technologies, but also a thorough examination of the obstacles and safety gaps in the current instruments developed by this organisation,” IMO secretary-general Arsenio Dominguez said in his opening remarks on Monday.

“This work is essential to the safe implementation of the IMO Strategy for Reducing Greenhouse Gases, one of the key focuses of our work and aspirations.”

MSC109 will hear back from a correspondence group set up at MSC108 to look into the technical background of alternative fuels as well as their hazards and shore-side risks.

Of particular interest to green shipping watchers will be work on ammonia, which is increasingly seen as the front-runner for zero-carbon deepsea shipping, but brings substantial safety concerns.

For example, the UK has proposed Solas amendments to make clear that the IGF Code, which governs ships using gas as fuel, covers “gaseous fuels” as well as low-flashpoint fuels, so as not to exclude ammonia.

It also wants to relax the four-year amendment cycle so the amendments enter into force in January 2027, noting the urgent need to give certainty to the industry investing in alternative fuels.

China, meanwhile, has highlighted 19 gaps in the regulations related to swappable battery containers, which could be used as backup power on containerships.

MSC109 is expected to set up a working group of member states to further consider the list of various alternative fuels and new technologies.

In his opening remarks, Dominguez again decried the “reprehensible” Red Sea attacks on ships and seafarers and urged the IMO’s 176 member states to “re-establish and ensure the principle of freedom of navigation”.

Other matters on the agenda include cybersecurity and developing a code to regulate autonomous ships.