Tag: Interviews

Francesco Sandrelli, Policy Director – Environment at the UK Chamber of Shipping, emphasizes that while the maritime industry has made strides in decarbonization, there's more to be done. A robust CII framework can encourage vessels to maximize energy efficiency, reducing reliance on new fuels and cutting greenhouse gas emissions.

As European shipowners align with the EU's objectives for a greener future, Evina Fotiadou, Policy Advisor for Shipping Policy and Communications at ECSA, highlights the obstacles hindering the maritime industry's transition. Notably, she points out the decline in shipping portfolios of European banks due to stringent capital requirements.

Isabelle Rickmers, Founder & CEO of TURTLE, emphasizes that effective leadership is crucial for advancing ESG and sustainability initiatives, with technology and data playing essential roles in this journey. Specifically, Isabelle highlights the significance of AI and data analytics, citing the TURTLE platform as an example of how these tools facilitate trend identification and recruitment process optimization, all while ensuring transparency.

In an exclusive interview to SAFETY4SEA, IUMI's experts Capt. Uwe-Peter Schieder and Sebastian Kempka share their concerns about fires onboard vessels, which remain one of the biggest safety challenges.

Georgia Spencer-Rowland, Shipping Policy Manager, ICS, notes that the maritime industry is heading in the right direction in addressing ESG requirements, putting an emphasis on the three dimensions. In that regard, it is important for the industry stakeholders to prioritize materiality assessment in ESG factors and tailor their strategies accordingly, avoiding a one-size-fits-all approach.

Captain Kuba Szymanski, Secretary General of InterManager, refers to their General Principles of Conduct and Action which are in line with ESG goals, setting the steps to the industry’s journey towards improvement.

Veson Nautical’s Chief Commercial Officer, Russ Hubbard, highlighted that to effectively take advantage of new technology and transparency in the maritime industry, we must find ways to transform raw data into information.

Andrew Roberts, Executive Director, EMEA, RightShip, refers to the key challenges facing the tanker sector and emphasizes the importance of independent vetting inspections, which assess qualitative criteria and have the potential to highlight crucial operational challenges.

Ilya Espino de Marotta, who is the first Chief Sustainability Officer for the Panama Canal & Deputy Administration, reveals her priorities to address the challenges posed by climate change. The Canal has always been focusing on sustainability, however it now embarks on a new and more ambitious era. Following the implications of the recent drought, the Canal has implemented an operational strategy and has taken action with investments and collaborations to ‘’thrive in a new climate economy’’. 

Chris Kruger, founder of AYK Energy, explains that his company can support the widespread adoption of battery solutions as it is close to the manufacturers of the core technology in China and will use that advantage to bring the new technologies rapidly to the industry.