While the voting procedure for the 2019 SAFETY4SEA Awards is open, Andrew Stephens, Executive Director and Nicole Rencoret, Head of Communications and Development of the Sustainable Shipping Initiative insist on a collaborative approach for the shipping industry to face upcoming challenges. Sustainability shows the road to success, they argue; in this regard, SSI – which has been nominated for the Sustainability category – has developed a roadmap which sets out steps and milestones to assist shipping toward a more sustainable future.
SAFETY4SEA: Your organization has been shortlisted for the 2019 SAFETY4SEA Awards in the ‘Sustainability’ category alongside a number of other distinguished nominees. What would you like to share with industry’s stakeholders with respect to this development?
Sustainable Shipping Initiative: Being nominated for the 2019 SAFETY4SEA Sustainability Award is the ultimate recognition of SSI’s leadership to inspire positive change and reshape the way in which the business of shipping is conducted. The Sustainable Shipping Initiative (SSI) is about doing the right things right. We are humbled to be nominated by our maritime peers, with whom we are collaborating to develop tangible solutions for adoption by the maritime industry. The nomination is also very timely, coming on the cusp of SSI’s 10 year anniversary in 2020: Winning the Sustainability Award would be a nice kickstart to our celebrations!
S4S: When it comes to tackling the shipping challenges with respect to sustainable shipping, what are the core priorities on your agenda?
SSI: The SSI is a multi-stakeholder initiative that brings together ambitious and action-oriented leaders spanning the entire shipping value chain to contribute to – and thrive in – a sustainable maritime industry. As SSI members we are committed to collective learning and concrete action towards the achievement of our collective SSI vision, with our core priority being to change the narrative to a socially and environmentally responsible, resilient and profitable maritime industry in which sustainability equals success. The SSI Roadmap sets out the steps and milestones to find solutions and guide us throughout our collective journey to our vision of a sustainable and profitable maritime industry.
S4S: What is your organization doing differently in order to prepare for a more sustainable future?
SSI: We recognise that no single company can address the complex challenges surrounding sustainable shipping alone – collaboration is essential. What makes SSI different is our collaborative approach: Our membership includes a diverse range of partners across the shipping value chain who collaborate and share expertise and knowledge, addressing sustainability challenges and overcome barriers to change. SSI members collaborate in an intimate and safe space where they can address complex problems as well as identify risks, challenges and strategic sustainability opportunities. Our collective voice of the industry drives and convenes debate on key sustainability issues to foster long-term thinking for a more sustainable future.
S4S: Do you have any new projects on the pipeline and/or plans that you would like to share with the rest of the industry?
SSI: Throughout 2019 SSI has been continuing its work on ship recycling through its leadership of the Ship Recycling Transparency Initiative (SRTI), while also building the momentum in its work on the transition from the current reliance on fossil fuels to the adoption of new technologies such as biofuels, where we are currently exploring the sustainability and availability of Biofuels for Shipping. We are also very excited to see our in-depth stakeholder consultation process on the role (if any) of sustainable biofuels in shipping’s radical decarbonisation, culminating in a high level event at Climate Week NYC, sharing our knowledge and learning with key maritime, sustainability and climate stakeholders. In 2020, we intend to explore a new workstream that looks at the human side of shipping, and will be identifying the scope and agenda of this area of our work over the coming months. Stay tuned for more on this!
S4S: If you could change one thing about the shipping industry, what would it be and why?
SSI: As we highlighted earlier, SSI sees collaboration as essential and we would like to see more of this. Convening the debate on the role of biofuels in shipping’s decarbonisation has reinforced the importance of working together not just across but also beyond the maritime industry. Our series of seminars have drawn upon the expertise and captured a diverse range of perspectives from other industries such as aviation and agriculture, climate and energy, and IGOs amongst others. We must break out of the echo chamber! – sustainable shipping is a major undertaking and we need all hands on deck to make it happen.
You may cast your vote for SSI at 2019 SAFETY4SEA Awards dedicated webpage till 6th of September 2019!
The views presented hereabove are only those of the author and not necessarily those of SAFETY4SEA and are for information sharing and discussion purposes only.
