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FROM THE EDITOR
IN IT FOR THE LONG HAUL
Sandra Speares Editor, Clean Shipping International
The maritime industry’s focus on meeting the demands of green legislation has continued to gather pace as we look at new methods, or extending methods that will hopefully improve everyone’s carbon footprint. This has resulted on concentration on a wide range of alternative fuels, including hydrogen, ammonia and nuclear power, as operators seek to explore the alternatives to low sulphur fuels or fitting expensive scrubbing equipment. It is not merely a question of a short term fix to meet legislative requirements, but the need to come up with long-term solutions that actually stick. At many times in the past, the maritime industries have been slow to respond to the demands of meeting the legislative requirements introduced and, in some cases, have been either caught out, or have concentrated on finding new uses for vessels that no longer meet requirements because of regulatory changes. It is good to see a wide range of solutions to ecological problems on display in Clean Shipping International, but also successes in combatting such issues as transference of damaging organisms in ballast water, for example. One key point that needs to be considered is that it is not just a question of complying with new regulations and meeting the deadlines indicated, but of needing to make new equipment work efficiently in practice. Regulatory compliance should never be a question of merely ticking the boxes and maritime industries have often been accused of not going the distance in coming up with solutions. Some short-term fixes have proved to be dangerous in the longer term, for example converting single hull tankers for use in other sectors of the industry, with structural changes affecting the safety and viability of the vessels concerned over a longer period. It is also good to see that not only are companies coming up with new and innovative solutions to combatting climate change, but they are also deciding to band together to explore common approaches to the problem. Maritime experts need to ensure that lawmakers are aware of the level of expertise available within the maritime sphere, which often goes un-noticed. The recent launch of the Maritime Professional Council in the UK is one initiative that is aimed at giving a push in this direction. In the interests of ensuring clean shipping for the future, we need not only to think outside the box but also ensure that our views are heard in all the right places. At the same time, we need to consider the race to decarbonisation as an opportunity and not a headache. This edition shows some of the innovative approaches out there — and we hope that you enjoy reading about them.
C L E A N S H I P P I N G INTERNATIONAL – Autumn 2021
