International Maritime Organization (IMO) secretary-general, Kitack Lim, took the opportunity at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Wednesday to once again call on industry leaders to address issues of air pollution, rising temperatures and the decarbonisation of the shipping industry.
“When temperature records are routinely broken, icecaps are melting and some parts of the world are flooding while others are burning, there can be little doubt that addressing climate change must be humankind’s major priority,” said Lim.
He said the IMO2020 sulphur cap formed part of the industry’s larger goal to reduce sector-wide emissions by 50% come 2050.
“Ambitious regulatory targets will act as the catalyst for technology, triggering research, development and innovation,” Lim said.
“Now is the time to start developing the vessels, the fuels, the delivery mechanisms and all the other necessary infrastructure to support zero-emission shipping.”
Lim said that the entire shipping industry would need to work together if they wanted to reach these ambitious targets.
“Collaboration in this area is likely to include developing and testing low or zero-carbon fuels; better communication and planning over berth availability to help with speed-optimization and just-in-time arrival; and supplying cleaner on-shore power for ships in port.” – Bjorn Vorster
