By
Michele Witthaus |
International Maritime Organization Secretary-General Koji Sekimizu shares with Michele Witthaus his thoughts on how the key IMO priorities will impact passenger shipping
Q: IMO Member States must develop Sustainable Development Goals. What challenges and priorities do you see for passenger shipping in this process?
A: Safety is paramount for passenger ships, as well as for the cruise/ferry industry – and safety is a prerequisite for sustainable development. Among the challenges I see is the use of the latest technological innovation to ensure safety and the continued focus on safety culture in order to improve operational safety – this is a commitment that is required from the top management of any organisation.Lessons also need to be learned from accidents such as the Costa Concordia and any near-miss incidents to promote a culture of ‘safety beyond compliance’. In this sense, it is paramount that the industry does not just comply with the letter of the regulations, but rather looks at the objective of a regulation and, as I just mentioned, for example, uses the latest technologies to improve safety.
I firmly believe that the industry itself has a major role to play. It should not wait for the regulators to act if it identifies a safety issue. Passengers are expecting not just stellar service on board, but also that safety is at the top of the list of priorities.
We should always push ourselves and each other to continually improve safety. This is why I think we should use this year, 100 years after the adoption of the first SOLAS Convention and forty years after the adoption of the 1974 SOLAS Convention, to initiate discussion that over the next decade would lead to the development of a new SOLAS, SOLAS 2024. This would enable us to develop a new concept of ship safety which would secure the safety of ships in the 21st century.
Q: What support is available to help foster sustainable maritime development?
A: First and foremost, cooperation among all the stakeholders in the maritime transportation system is important, and IMO is ready to provide a platform for information sharing. This is in addition to our activities within our technical cooperation programme, assisting governments to build their capacity to implement measures adopted by IMO, many of these being of relevance to sustainable development.
Other organisations are in a position to support specific projects which could be considered to come under the umbrella of sustainable development. I am thinking here of, for example, the Marine Electronic Highway project in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore, which was supported by a grant from the Global Environment Facility/World Bank.
Q: What is most encouraging to you about the progress made by shipping – in particular the passenger shipping sector – towards the January 2015 measures to limit SOx and particulate matter emissions inside Emission Control Areas?
A: In the case of emission control, shipping is responding to a demand by global society for less harmful emissions. I am certainly encouraged that progress is being made on this important matter, and I am in particular encouraged by the firm commitment made by the Cruise Lines International Association to preserving and protecting the environment, in particular, its commitment that all member cruise lines should meet or outperform all applicable emissions requirements, wherever their ships operate. As far as the 2015 target is concerned, we are confident that the shipping industry will meet the requirements.
However, it must also be recognised that concerns have been raised by some over the availability of low-sulphur fuel in 2020 to meet the global cap. We have decided to implement a global cap on sulphur but we can only implement this if there is a sufficient supply of low-sulphur fuel available to the shipping industry. I have therefore supported bringing forward the important study of the availability of low-sulphur fuel, and a proposal on this matter has already been submitted for discussion at the Marine Environment Protection Committee meeting in the spring. The point of this study is not to postpone or delay the implementation of the global cap, but if shortages or bottlenecks are identified then we – the industry, Member States and IMO – need to discuss them with the oil and refinery industries in order to ensure that, by 2020, we have a sufficient quantity of low- sulphur fuel.
Based on the results of the study, we need to take proper action. This may mean action for the oil refinery industry to make the necessary investments to provide low-sulphur fuel at a reasonable cost to shipping; or it may mean some other kind of action, including installing scrubbers on board or even changing fuel to other clean energy, such as LNG. But this must be debated by the community as a whole, because not only is the concept of sustainability beneficial for all parties involved but also all parties must be involved in the debate on who should share the burden of ensuring sustainability.
IMO will provide an opportunity to discuss this issue at the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) with all stakeholders involved, including the oil and gas industry, going beyond maritime policy in the context of the Sustainable Maritime Transportation System.
Q: Passenger shipping involves the human component, not just in terms of the crew and workers in the supply chain, but the presence of large numbers of guests onboard ships. What, in your opinion, are the biggest challenges regarding the human aspect of a sustainable maritime future?
A: A Sustainable Maritime Transportation System requires properly trained and educated seafarers. Such training and education should be based on the international standards set out in the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW), and include refresher training and education upgrades, as necessary. Safety and environmental awareness should be the priorities.
The quality of life for seafarers at sea is also important in order to maintain and develop the maritime transport industry as an attractive career option for talented professionals seeking a varied career involving both ship- and shore-based employment. The retention of qualified professionals is perhaps the greatest challenge for the sector, due to recurring issues such as criminalisation of seafarers, denial of shore leave and repatriation rights, and lack of recreational facilities for seafarers to support shipboard work and living conditions on a level comparable with that enjoyed by shore-based professionals.
In terms of passengers, ship operators can do a lot to educate and inform passengers, such as ensuring they recycle garbage, use energy efficiently, including turning lights off and re-using towels, and so on. There are many examples of good practice within the passenger ship industry already, including environmental stewardship videos for passengers and rigorous recycling programmes onboard ships.
This article appeared in the Spring/Summer 2014 edition of International Cruise & Ferry Review. To read the full article, you can subscribe to the magazine in printed or digital formats.