The 2019 SAFETY4SEA Conference in Cyprus successfully concluded on Wednesday 20th of February, at the Columbia Plaza in Limassol, attracting 250 delegates from a total of 130 organizations.
The event was organized by SAFETY4SEA, having MACGREGOR and SQEMARINE as lead sponsors. Other sponsors were: ARGO NAVIS Marine Consulting and Engineering, Aquametro Oil & Marine, Bureau Veritas, Columbia Shipmanagement, Diaplous Maritime Services, Flow Water Technologies, RISK4SEA, Tototheo Maritime, UK P&I Club and UMAR – WSR. Furthermore, the event was supported by the Association of Merchant Marine Officers, Captains and Marine Engineers in Cyprus, CYMEPA, Cyprus Union of Shipowners (CUS), Cyprus Maritime Academy, Cyprus Naval Architects & Marine Engineers Association, Cyprus Shipping Chamber, Frederick University, ICS Cyprus Branch, InterManager, Marine Institute of Eastern Mediterranean, The Nautical Institute – Cyprus Branch, YoungShip Cyprus and WISTA Cyprus.
The pro bono event was organized in Cyprus for the second time, following the successful completion of the first SAFETY4SEA Conference in Cyprus last April, which also made the start for the organization to establish a global presence for the events. Cyprus is the largest third-party ship management center in Europe and among the top 5 in the world. Around 3,250 vessels with a total net tonnage of 48 million are managed from Cyprus, representing more than 20% of the world’s third party managed fleet.
The event brought together global experts who focused on the recent and future challenges toward safe, smart and green shipping excellence and sustainable shipping. Presentations were given in six panels in which the experts shared their views on industry’s critical issues such as the upcoming 2020 global sulphur cap, IMO’s ambitious emission reduction targets and loss prevention challenges.
Panel #1 – SHIPPING 2020 and Beyond – The Big Picture
Mr. Apostolos Belokas, Managing Editor, SAFETY4SEA, opened the event with predictions expected to form shipping in the future up to 2030. In the last year alone, Mr. Belokas noted, the industry has seen major regulatory developments, which have created too many uncertainties for the sector to digest, especially regarding the 2020 sulphur cap. However, the future may be not uncertain, but under development, he stressed, adding that 2019 will probably be ‘a year to remember’.
Mr. Ioannis Efstratiou, Senior Marine Surveyor, Cyprus Shipping Deputy Ministry, shared his predictions on the maritime landscape in the near future, focusing on the environmental challenges relating to 2020 sulphur cap, GHG emissions, ship dismantling and BWM regulations. For the sulphur cap, he noted, Cyprus equally accepts many possible solutions, as the use of either low Sulphur compliant or alternative fuel or EGC Systems.
Mr. Emmanuel Zachariakis, Managing Director, Aquametro Hellas, emphasized on the challenges for the industry to expect ahead the 2020 sulphur cap. In this regard, he presented a fuel management solution for SOx emission control, which includes sulphur content control in fuel oil, control of different types of fuel oil, and SOx emission control by fuel oil blending.
Panel #2 – SHIPPING 2020 and Beyond – Investigating Industry Options
Opening the second panel, Dr. John Kokarakis, Director Technical Business Development, HBSA Zone, Bureau Veritas, provided an in-depth overview of all the environmentally-friendly marine fuel solutions for compliance with the 2020 sulphur cap. Although all options provide different benefits, Dr. Kokarakis concluded that exploitation of limitless renewable energy sources appears to be the most viable and environmentally-friendly solution.
In his presentation, Dr. Elias Yfantis, Hellenic Naval Academy & Cyprus Maritime Academy, dealt with the use of Methanol as a fuel in dual fuel compression ignition engine for marine propulsion. He namely gave special attention on methanol key advantages, methanol drawbacks and available counter-measures, as well as vessel retrofit for Methanol operation.
Mr. Erwin Derlagen, COO, Enesel Limited, participated in the panel discussion providing insight on the key challenges ahead for the shipping industry and addressing priorities toward a more sustainable future. The panel discussion investigated industry options for compliance with the emerging stringent environmental rules, noting that there is no silver bullet solution.
Panel #3 – Ballast Water Management
Opening the third panel, Mr. Mark Hadfield, CEO, Flow Water Technologies, focused on how a BWMS claim can pay back to an owner. Manufacturers are claiming pay back periods for something that is a pure expense, he said. Also, costs are being hidden to get sales, however, the industry needs innovation.
Mr. Konstantinos Dimopoulos, International Sales Manager, ERMA FIRST, shared his experience on BWTS selection procedure, advising how a vessel operator will select the most favorable system according to the vessel type, if any specific structural/operational features and ballasting habits, and on BWTS Installation requirements and lifecycle support. He also discussed challenges related to retrofit project developments.
Mr. Dimitrios Ioannis Kalfas, Engineering Team Leader, Argo Navis, insisted on proper and timely planning for a BWTS or a scrubber retrofit to avoid bottleneck. However, there are few challenges at this stage which can set calendars back during planning, he noted, citing class approval, owner supplied items, yards in charge and transportation of equipment.
Panel #4 – Digital Shipping
Mrs. Athena Kanellatou, Regional Director Mediterranean, MacGregor, talked about intelligent cargo handling, as well as autonomous discharging cranes, as part of the new digital era which affects shipping. In this respect, she moved on with discussions on Virtual Reality Trainings that enhance safety and efficiency of operations.
Mr. Pankaj Sharma, Columbia Control Room Manager, Columbia Shipmanagement Ltd, referred to digitalization and smart applications for optimizing energy efficiency, noting that the biggest barrier has been the investment in research, and in present day business scenario seems unlikely that anything is coming. However, with help of machine learning and self-correcting models we can now create trends that would normally take years, he mentioned.
Mr. Constantinos Spyrou, Vice President, YoungShip Cyprus, explained how Big Data and Smart applications can facilitate industry in the smart era considering that information/ data is the new wealth and the digital transformation is imminent. He also highlighted key priorities in order industry to adopt to new reality and engage customers, crew and employers and optimize operations.
Panel #5 – Digital Shipping
Mrs. Anna Vourgos, President, WISTA Cyprus, shared her experience on Loss Prevention and Risk Management, explaining that Loss Prevention is not just about “physical” measures to prevent a possible loss, but corrective action through Risk Management to prevent, manage and mitigate the financial loss. In this regard, she advised that an effective Risk Management must always rely on data, because ‘numbers never lie’.
Mr. David Nichol, Senior Loss Prevention Executive, UK P&I Club, focused on accidents relating to entry into enclosed spaces onboard ships, which ‘continue to blight the shipping industry’. The dangers associated with enclosed spaces are well known – so why the unremitting level of casualties? Part of the problem, he noted, lies in common misconceptions as to what constitutes an enclosed space, the variable hazards they may present as well as the ever-present danger of human complacency.
During his presentation, Mr. Dimitris Maniatis, Chief Commercial Officer, Diaplous Maritime Services, provided a recap of the current maritime security status, focusing on key high risk areas, such the Indian Ocean region and West African waters. For the Gulf of Guinea, he stressed, Piracy and Maritime Aggression is never ending. However, there are always ways to successfully mitigate risk, deter threat and avoid loss, he concluded.
Panel #6 – Human Element and Best Practices
Capt. VS Parani, HSSEQ Manager, Oceanic Marine Management Limited, discussed how heuristics can be used for better decisions onboard ships, stressing that seafarers make several high-stakes decisions every day- not all end well, given that there are on average 100 total ship losses and 1000 fatalities every year, mostly attributed to human error. Around 80% of key shipboard decisions are foreseeable, he added, and this process can be improved with the use of heuristics.
Mrs. Gina Panayiotou, Head of Shipping (Global), Michael Kyprianou & CO. LLC, emphasized on reputation strategy and its legal impact, which are ‘more important than ever’ in what may be defined as the most disruptive era of the shipping industry, with new technologies and strict environmental regulations at the forefront. Whether we are talking about cybersecurity, GDPR or media crisis management policies or breaches, it is about time, that we started to be proactive rather than re-active, she noted.
Mrs. Marianna Kyriacoudes, Fleet Personnel Manager, Maestro Shipmanagement Ltd, participated at the discussion of the last panel which focused on the future challenges of the human element toward digitalization. The discussions addressed best practices for enhancing safety culture onboard and ways to attract more people to the shipping industry as well as new training methods to improve both technical and soft skills.
All sessions ended with a round table discussion in which the audience exchanged ideas with high level experts of international repute on technological developments. Finally, Apostolos Belokas as the Forum Chairman thanked the delegates for their participation, the sponsors for their support and the speakers for their excellent presentations and also the organizing team of the event for their contribution towards forum objectives. Explore more about the event at https://events.safety4sea.com/2019-safety4sea-cyprus-conference/
