In an exclusive interview, Sebastian von Hardenberg, the newly elected President of InterManager, outlines his key priorities, emphasizing the importance of partnerships and knowledge sharing. As the maritime sector moves toward a multi-fuel future, he stresses the importance of seizing the opportunities this transition presents.
One such opportunity is the chance for maritime professionals to broaden their career horizons. Future-oriented career paths will make maritime professions more attractive—an essential development given the current shortage of skilled labor and the intense competition for talent from other industries. Furthermore, von Hardenberg highlights the need for a reliable database on core safety issues. Such a resource would enable the shipping industry to implement targeted countermeasures, ultimately reducing the number of accidents and better protecting the health and wellbeing of seafarers.
SAFETY4SEA: What are your top priorities on the agenda as the new President of InterManager?
Sebastian von Hardenberg: I was delighted to be elected President of InterManager in February and that the members placed their trust in me. I have already been working for the interests of the ship management sector as Vice President of InterManager since the beginning of 2024, particularly in the area of advocacy in shaping the increasing EU and IMO regulations for the decarbonisation of shipping. This will continue to be one of the top priorities of me and the InterManager team. It is vital that ship managers speak with one united voice and maintain active engagement with regulators and stakeholders. As President, I will prioritize proactive engagement to safeguard our industry’s interests and ensure our position is well-represented in global regulatory discussions. Another focus is on crew safety and wellbeing, and on talent development. I am fully committed to promoting and advancing initiatives that prioritize crew safety and wellbeing while fostering interest in seafaring careers among younger generations, as we need to find ways to attract the next generation of youngsters into shipping jobs. And last but not least, I would like to further promote collaboration and the exchange of information within the maritime industry, for example with industry leaders like ICS, Intertanko, Intercargo, and BIMCO. I am convinced that only by fostering partnerships and knowledge sharing we are able to tackle the expanding requirements and challenges of the future. From navigating new regulations to leveraging advancements in digitalization, machine learning, and AI, there is tremendous potential for collective progress.
S4S: What are the main challenges you are facing in your new role? How do you envision InterManager’s role in shaping the future of ship management?
S.v.H.: I see a major challenge in creating a basic understanding among political and regulatory decision-makers of what role ship managers actually have. What is an ISM manager and DOC holder, what tasks and responsibilities do they have, what decisions do they have any influence on? You see this specifically, for example, in the introduction of FuelEU Maritime and in the current MEPC83 negotiations on IMO’s future net-zero framework, where I believe the actual task baskets of the various maritime parties from bareboat charterers to charterers, owners and ship managers could have been and should have been reflected better from the start. In all fairness though, the maritime industry is complex and not always self-explanatory to the outsider – so it is also on us and our peers in other maritime trade associations to work on creating the understanding required to draft practical regulations. Communication is key here.
S4S: What are your thoughts on decarbonization and sustainability in shipping? How should ship managers adapt to these industry shifts?
S.v.H.: InterManager fully supports the overarching goal to protect our climate. I think and observe that shipping remains committed to combating climate change and is ready to do its part. However, it needs a global level playing field in the form of simple and practical regulatory frameworks.
S4S: What global policy changes—whether from the IMO or national governments—would most effectively accelerate the transition to zero-emission shipping?
S.v.H.: What we as ship managers, and certainly the entire shipping industry, would like to see are reliable, practicable and therefore effective framework conditions and requirements. There are now so many new regulations that shipping has to comply with, CII, EEXI, EU ETS, FuelEU Maritime, to name a few. And more will be added – some regional, some global like the MEPC framework. Whatever the IMO agreement will look like, we sincerely hope that it will replace the existing regional regulations and not come on top of those. Also, we call for rulesets which are simpler to administer compared to EU ETS and FuelEU Maritime which come with significant complexity, administrative burden and bureaucracy. The creation of convoluted sets of regulations, diverse data collection and reporting requirements, and various responsibilities does not help anyone, not the shipping industry, not the regulatory authorities and not the climate. If you have a common goal, you should also agree on a common framework. Greater alignment between these regulations would enhance efficiency and drive more effective outcomes, to the benefit of everyone.
S4S: What are the biggest opportunities and challenges related to the human element in shipping’s decarbonization journey?
S.v.H.: There is no doubt that we are heading for a multi-fuel future. There will not be one magic fuel that paves the way to net-zero. We need to be prepared for that. This is especially true for our seafarers and the seafarers of the next generation. It means that curricula at universities and maritime academies are being adapted to the new requirements and that our training centres and courses are prepared accordingly, for example with additional training content, set-ups and simulators for the new propulsion systems. It is our people who ensure the uncompromisable safety and availability of crew and assets. We must guarantee a consistently high level of quality and safety in ship management, regardless of the fuel type and propulsion system. In the end, it’s all about everyone pulling together, educational institutions, regulatory authorities, industry organisations, the shore and sea staff, and of course in close cooperation with owners and charterers. This industry transition offers new opportunities for maritime personnel to develop further, to learn new technologies, to broaden the professional horizon. Future-oriented career prospects will increase the attractiveness of maritime professions, which is particularly important in light of the shortage of skilled labour and the struggle of competing industries for talent.
S4S: Are you satisfied with industry’s progress on addressing seafarers’ welfare & wellbeing? How should industry stakeholders work to improve life onboard and foster seafarers’ resilience?
S.v.H.: I note great efforts and engagement among our members to further improve the working conditions for seafarers. As I said at the beginning, it is very important to me to make further progress in this important area of crew safety and wellbeing, whether through internal measures, cooperations with other stakeholders or overarching initiatives, such as the Global Maritime Forum, in which a significant number of shipping companies participate. Unfortunately, we also have to realize that it is often the seafarers who are facing the full brunt of global crisis and geopolitical tensions. This has already been the case during the COVID-19 pandemic and continues in the wake of the current geopolitical conflicts in the Black Sea and Red Sea, while on shore our seafarers may face the risk of being subjected to unjust criminalisation. Apart from the human tragedies behind such cases, these unacceptable developments are doing little to aid the industry’s efforts to attract the next generation of seafarers into seafaring jobs. We have to do our best every day to protect those who serve at sea. It’s about more than improving working conditions and closing the skills gap; it’s also essential for keeping global trade moving. International trade depends on international shipping and international shipping cannot go on without seafarers.
S4S: What is your wish list for the industry and/or regulators and all parties involved for enhancing safety culture onboard?
S.v.H.: I would like to see greater transparency and cooperation in this important area. Reliable figures and a comprehensive exchange of data on the number and type of accidents on ships are often lacking. Thus, InterManager has been regularly submitting accident statistics to the IMO’s Global Integrated Shipping Information System (GISIS). InterManager is using a variety of verified data feeds to obtain this information on accidents onboard ships. Industry statistics are undermined due to lack of transparency and hesitation in sharing accidents. This is causing problems with accident reporting. InterManager notes that numerous accidents onboard ships are neither recorded within GISIS nor made available elsewhere, although these accidents are being openly reported and recorded on ship type-specific websites and within regional media. Safety is one of the central pillars of InterManager’s General Principles of Conduct and Action. Only if we have a reliable database on core safety issues will the shipping industry be able to initiate specific counter actions, reduce the number of accidents, and protect the health of seafarers.
S4S: What should be the industry’s top priorities in developing a highly skilled workforce for the future?
S.v.H.: Three key points: digitalization, sustainability, and responsibility. Due to transforming market conditions and increasing demands, it is essential that we take even greater advantage of advances in digitalization, machine learning, and AI. It is not about replacing people but about supporting. Accordingly, we must empower them to master these technologies and use them effectively. The same applies to the sustainable transition of our industry. Only those who know and understand the new requirements, master technological changes and develop a mindset of continuous improvement can advance the decarbonization of shipping. And last but not least, the promotion of responsible and proactive employees. It is important to involve employees in decision-making processes so that they can follow the difficult path of transformation.
S4S: What would it take for the maritime industry to achieve diversity, equality, and inclusion? What role does management play in this shift?
S.v.H.: As per InterManager’s General Principles of Conduct and Action, its members commit to ensure fair treatment and equal opportunities for all. It has been shown that companies that promote equal opportunities are generally more innovative and productive and attract more qualified employees. But for sure, there is still a long way to go, if you look at the gender imbalance on board, for example. Recognising the untapped talent pool, and considering the shortage of skilled labour, we have to increase our commitment to change. The same applies to the expansion of cultural diversity. We have to tap new seafarer markets and to pave the way for talents in emerging countries to pursue a career in shipping.
S4S: How can industry stakeholders collaborate more effectively to drive meaningful progress toward sustainable development?
S.v.H.: I believe that industry stakeholders are already cooperating quite effectively. This is in our nature, as shipping has always been a highly collaborative business capable of responding quickly to change. However, there is still room for improvement in the collaboration and exchange with policymakers and regulators. Decision-making processes are often slow, bureaucratic, and non-transparent. It’s easy to set a high target, but implementation is up to the industry. Accordingly, it shouldn’t be made unnecessarily difficult for us.
S4S: If you could change one thing across the industry from your perspective, what this would be and why?
S.v.H.: Of course, I would like to see the ship management fees adjusted to the value of our services. Over the past years, the ship management industry has grappled with substantial cost increases, primarily driven by inflation, rising wages, and a shortage of skilled personnel. But management fees have not kept pace with the rising costs. In addition, the need to innovate in order to master digital and sustainable transformation is increasing, which requires significant investments. We are taking on more and more responsibility, constantly expanding our service value. In this way, we make an important contribution to safe, reliable and efficient operations.
S4S: Looking ahead to 2050, what key message about sustainable shipping would you include in a time capsule for industry stakeholders to reflect on?
S.v.H.: The decarbonization goals were ambitious, but were the framework conditions optimal to achieve these goals? I’m not just talking about regulations and their necessary global standardization. It’s also about global political will to ensure that all players have a level playing field, and also about the availability of alternative fuels.
The views presented are only those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of SAFETY4SEA and are for information sharing and discussion purposes only.
