An ever-increasing focus on sustainability and emission requirements will require major changes for the maritime industry. That was discussed at the Autonomy Summit, which took place on June 4, in Norway. Moreover, during the summit, international players discussed how automation can contribute to emissions reductions.
The Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg was also mentioned several times, by the Norwegian Forum for Autonomous Ships (NFAS). What is more, despite the fact that many projects are taking place to reduce emissions, all over the world, many of the speakers were impatient.
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Namely, Antoon Van Coillie, who runs the Belgian near freight company Blue Lines Logistics, said that the industry must have more haste than it currently does. He explained that the industry should not aim to reduce emissions by 50% by 2050, but aim to do so faster, and also have a zero emission target in 2050.
In the same wavelength, Jacob Terling from the European Commission, called the industry to be more radical. He noted that the technology that exists today is not innovative enough, and the goals set are not radical enough. He also added that digital technology is an important ingredient to succeed with the restructuring of shipping, which will also be able to reduce emissions from.
Moreover, Acting Maritime Director Lars Alvestad, took part in a panel debate on autonomy and regulations, indicating that much has happened since the first time he talked about autonomy at a maritime conference.
At that time, we said that the Norwegian Maritime Directorate as a maritime administration would contribute a forward-looking attitude to the development of autonomous solutions. We have done that, and now we are ready to certify Yara Birkeland for the first operational phase
