By
Guest |
Preparations for the 48th annual Interferry conference are in full swing, and a record number of members have already signed up to join us in Marrakesh, Morocco, from 26-30 October 2024. The 2023 conference sold out weeks in advance and we’re anticipating equally high demand this year, so we urge those wanting to participate in our marquee global event to complete their registration.
Taking place on 28-29 October, our Speakers Program will feature representatives from a cross-section of the world’s ferry community, including ferry line executives from all four corners of the world and supplier members whose activities are related to the conference themes of safety, security and sustainability.
Conference host and Interferry president Ronny Moriana Glindemann of FRS/DFDS is leading the programme. Although our sector is still male-dominated, I’m pleased to report that we have three well-respected female ferry leaders on the stage. Greta Bédard, the first woman to hold the position of president and CEO of Canada’s Société des traversiers du Québec, will give insights from the Canadian East Coast ferry sector. Stena Line’s chief commerical officer Elisabeth Lönne will talk about the transformation efforts at the Sweden-headquartered ferry company. Indonesia is probably the world’s most ferry-dependent nation, and I am therefore extremely proud to welcome ASDP Indonesia Ferry CEO Ira Puspadewi to one of the ferry leaders panels. Puspadewi, whose leadership has been marked by innovative strategies and operational enhancements, will also discuss the Indonesian ferry system’s challenges and opportunities.
Other distinguished speakers will include: Götz Becker, CEO of FRS and Interferry board vice chairman; Torben Carlsen, CEO of DFDS, who has been instrumental in the company’s expansion during the past 15 years; Matteo Catani, CEO of GNV, a leading Western Mediterranean ferry operator controlled by MSC Group; Ettore Morace, CEO of Grimaldi Trasmed, who has over 40 years of industry experience; Steve Nevey, head of Washington State Ferries, the USA’s largest ferry system; and Mark Wilson, who will join the discussion as newly appointed president and CEO of Canada’s Northumberland/Bay Ferries.
Interferry2024 will be hosted at the Palais des Congrès in Marrakesh, Morocco, marking the first time the association has held the annual conference on the African continent
We will also have two informative and insightful keynotes from Bud Darr and Sotiris Raptis. Darr is executive vice president of maritime policy and government affairs at MSC Group and works with its cargo and passenger divisions, developing and refining the company’s central government affairs function. Sotiris is secretary general at the European Community Shipowners’ Associations.
A good part of the safety programme will focus on domestic ferry safety and build on discussions held at the Africa Ferry Safety Seminar hosted by Interferry and International Maritime Organization in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, in April 2024. Other discussions will focus on all areas of operational security, including physical security concerns pertaining to ports and ships and increasing cybersecurity risks as technology is moving faster than ever before. The sessions focusing on sustainability will continue to highlight zero-emission solutions and include presentations on sustainable ship construction and interiors.
Building on one of our key initiatives from Interferry’s new three-year strategic plan, I want to urge governments and electricity utilities to prioritise investments in onshore power supply (OPS) development to help the ferry sector maintain its lead in maritime electrification and hybridisation.
Ferries provide lifeline and essential services to communities across the globe, carrying around 4.3 billion passengers and 373 million vehicles, according to a study conducted by Oxford Economics on Interferry’s behalf.
The relatively short distances covered by ferries warrant battery-electric propulsion. Operating battery-electric vessels also means the ferry industry doesn’t have to tap into the limited resources of alternative fuels. However, as long as governments and electricity utilities don’t prioritise the strategic rollout of OPS, ferry operators remain in limbo with regard to ordering new fully electric or hybrid ships.
As many governments have implemented, or are in the process of implementing, a carbon tax – for example the European Union’s Emissions Trading System – it would only be fair to reinvest a good portion of these revenues in OPS infrastructure. As long as governments are reluctant to put their shoulder to the wheel, it will be almost impossible for the ferry sector to meet ambitious national and global decarbonisation targets, jeopardising the essential lifeline services offered by ferries.
A Canadian former energy industry executive, Mike Corrigan joined global ferry association Interferry in 2017 after 14 years with BC Ferries – among the world’s largest ferry operators – where he was president and CEO from 2012
This article was first published in the Autumn/Winter 2024 issue of Cruise & Ferry Review. All information was correct at the time of printing, but may since have changed. Subscribe for FREE to get the next issue delivered directly to your inbox.