Day 1 of SHIPPINGInsight 2022 started with Semiramis Paliou of Diana Shipping setting the stage for SHIPPINGInsight 2022 on the new face of shipping.
Ms. Paliou talked about ESG, and how industry needs to listen to all stakeholders while fully encompassing the E, the S, and the G in order to “have a successful, sustainable maritime industry.”
More specifically, she emphasized the need to encourage sharing of information and to work proactively, and not reactively, to “create a better world for the sake of future generations.”
What is more, during the opening keynote, Chris Wiernicki of ABS, stated that:
Shipping will require the industry to embrace a new language. We need to embrace partnerships! Unique models of Green Shipping Corridors and clean energy marine hubs highlight how the success of net zero will be a collaborative effort!
Furthermore, the panelists on the Driving the Decade of Demand roundtable, said that global society is looking for accountability and transparency. Wondering how will the industry be judged on the world’s stage, As Roy Bleiberg stated that “the shipping industry is growing, and the world depends on it. Demands are continuing to grow.”
From a regulatory standpoint, IMO’s Natasha Brown mentioned that the sector must “inform the world of what IMO is doing in terms of regulations to increase transparency. We must be open to providing transparency, without worry of risk or fear.”
This opinion was echoed by Sam Davin of WWF Canada that the public should see the industry investing in solutions. What is more, Randy Giveans of Navigator Gas pointed out that:
Public image has changed, but public awareness needs to be better
Continuing in the “Demand for Decarbonization,” Brent Perry of SHIFT stated that “we can all recognize there is not one single fuel that has been selected for decarbonization.”
More specifically, as David Cummins of Blue Sky Maritime Coalition noted:
You can’t start the change without a vision of what it looks like when it’s done ad we need collaboration, especially by those in developed countries
Finally in the Demand for Transparency, experts shared their opinions on the best mechanisms for delivering transparency to ensure shipping’s social license to operate.
We must look at the benefits; if we don’t do it ourselves, people will come and pull it out
Stergios Stamopoulos of ABS, highlighted.
As for Jan-Willem van den Dijssel of Cargill , he recommended using NAMEPA’s Maritime Sustainability Program as a tool to find what operators missed in their CSR/ESG pathway as the first step to transparency.
