The International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) is urging regulators to keep safety in mind as they prepare to accelerate shipping’s decarbonisation.

The International Maritime Organization is expected to set a target for shipping to fully decarbonise by 2050 at a meeting in July.

“As the timescale for decarbonisation becomes increasingly compressed — as time elapses and or the level of ambition is raised — there is a commensurate urgency to understand associated safety risks and establish an effective assurance arrangement for the safety of decarbonisation solutions,” said IACS secretary general Robert Ashdown in the association’s 2022 review.