The International Maritime Organization debate on sustainability to mark World Maritime Day could not escape the more immediate problem of the crew change crisis.
The theme of the debate might have been “Sustainable shipping for a sustainable planet", but secretary general Kitack Lim used his opening speech to speak of the “hundreds of thousands of seafarers trapped on ships” because of the coronavirus pandemic.
He promised the IMO would be involved discussions with stakeholders to solve the crisis. He pointed out that seafarers are playing a critical role in getting the world through the pandemic, and they will also be instrumental in the post Covid-19 world.
“Shipping has continued to deliver vital goods and is the most efficient transport method in the world,” he said.
He said seafarers would be at the “heart of the economic recovery”, following the pandemic.
But, Lim also promised shipping would also contribute to the battle against climate change. He pointed toward automation as one of the ways forward to improve the sustainability of the industry. He added that despite the disruption caused by the pandemic there is “unprecedented collaboration between IMO member states on climate change”.
He also mentioned the role that the IMO is playing in cleaning the world’s oceans from waste and helping developing countries to contribute toward global environmental efforts.
Alastair Fischbacher, president of the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology, said that the shipping industry is already heading toward the use of alternative fuels.
However, he said that shipowners needed support to make the transition.
“If we are not careful then ships using alternative fuels will find that there is no infrastructure to support them,” he said.
Birgit Liodden, chief executive of the Ocean Opportunity Lab, said that the shipping industry is “running out of time” in its efforts to drive down emissions. She suggested it should develop “one clear goal” to help speed up the process.
She suggested the industry should set the goal of being “free of emissions and waste” by regenerating resources.
Also, commenting on how to make employment in the industry more diverse, Liodden suggested that it needs to rethink traditional working models which tended to “box people up”.
She said that as new technologies put shipping into a transitional period there is an opportunity to change working models that would encourage diversity.
“Now is the time to rethink and create,” she said.
