Michalis Pantazopoulos , Senior Vice-President, LISCR (Hellas), has responded to GREEN4SEA questions making an assessment of the progress made within 2016 in both BWM Convention and the regulations regarding shipping emissions reduction. Mr. Pantazopoulos explains how Liberia has set the example towards a greener industry in 2017 and beyond.
GREEN4SEA: Do you think there was a significant success and/or progress made with respect to marine environment protection during 2016? Focusing on your area of expertise, what were the most important industry developments within 2016?
Michalis Pantazopoulos: Undoubtedly the two most important industry developments in respect of marine environmental protection in 2016 were the decisions taken by IMO’s Maritime Environment Protection Committee regarding the implementation of the Ballast Water Management (BWM) Convention and a global sulphur cap of 0.50 per cent. The proposed legislation may not be perfect. Liberia, for example, is leading a move to amend the BWM Convention to allow certain ships additional time beyond 2020 in order to ensure that adequate new ballast water management systems are commercially available, along with the necessary dockyard space for installation. However, it is certainly a major step in the right direction.
G4S: Focusing on your area of expertise, what do you think that it will be the biggest marine environmental challenge(s) for the industry for the 2017?
M.P.: Getting ready for compliance with the BWM convention and with the new sulphur emissions limits which will take effect in 2020 are going to be the biggest marine environmental challenges for the industry over the next three years. This will require investment and planning, and will involve close co-operation with experienced and responsible service providers such as ship registries.
G4S: What would be the 2017 resolutions for your company/ organization? What are your goals and aspirations to enhance environmental excellence? Do you have any new projects on the pipeline and/or plans for 2017 that you would like to share?
M.P.:Liberia is a signatory to all the major safety and environmental protection conventions and treaties. As an active and involved member of the IMO, ILO and other UN agencies involved in maritime affairs, Liberia has set the standard with regard to IMO participation and early ratification of major safety and environmental protection treaties. Our resolution for 2017 is to continue in that vein.
The Liberian-flag fleet is the greenest fleet afloat. Liberia has launched a range of recent new initiatives to help shipowners improve their green credentials and meet other corporate social responsibilities. It recently entered into a partnership to launch an innovative environmental retrofit finance programme designed to reduce global carbon emissions, enhance fleet efficiency and competitiveness, and promote a greener Liberian fleet. For ships trading within ECA zones, the eco-upgrade programme can include the installation of exhaust scrubber systems or the conversion of engines to LNG dual-fuel. The Liberian Registry is also offering special tonnage tax discounts for ships participating in this green initiative.
The Liberian Registry also recently became the first flag state to participate in the Green Award programme. Green Award brings together ship operators who are willing to improve the safety and environmental performance of their vessels, and ports or private companies in the maritime sector which are willing to support vessels that go beyond international conventions and legislation in terms of ship lay-out and equipment, quality of operations and management. Green Award-certified ships will be recognized and rewarded by the Liberian Registry for their efforts to minimize emissions and risks of incidents and accidents, while ensuring the best care for people and the environment. The Registry will offer a 3% tonnage tax discount annually to all Liberian-flag vessels that are certified. The discount will apply continually as long as the vessel remains in the Green Award program.
Moreover, the Registry has launched an innovative software product designed to replace traditional paper oil record books (ORB) and to facilitate correct ORB entries into an efficient electronic format. The ε-ORB is intended to address a variety of issues, including oil record books being reported missing on board, failure to document entries in the ORB of internal transfer of oily mixture, discrepancies between entry into the ORB and actual capacity of the oily water separator, and falsification of log entries.
G4S: What is your overall forecast for the marine environmental developments in 2017 and what would you like to share and/or wish and/or ask other industry stakeholders?
M.P.: Shipping has already shown its willingness to meet its environmental responsibilities. Next year will require an even greater commitment on the part of the industry in this regard now that specific implementation targets have been set. We expect shipping to move even further towards a greener future in 2017, and look forward to working with other safety-minded and environmentally-aware operators and service providers in achieving this goal.
The views presented hereabove are only those of the author and not necessarily those of GREEN4SEA and are for information sharing and discussion purposes only.