Tag: Interviews

Krishnaswamy Natarajan, Executive Director of ReCAAP ISC, unveiled the latest statistics on maritime piracy and armed robbery in Asia, emphasizing that while there are no specific hotspots in the region, the Straits of Malacca and Singapore (SOMS) remain areas of concern. In light of this, he urges ship masters and crews to adhere strictly to best management practices and promptly report any incidents.

Dr. Kevin Ghirxi, Head of the Marine Safety Investigation Unit in Malta, emphasizes the necessity for the maritime industry to delve deeper into understanding maritime operations and procedures. This approach, termed ‘embedded discovery,’ aims to illuminate both the implementation processes ('how') and the underlying reasons ('why') for performance variabilities onboard.

Dr. Kostas G. Gkonis, Secretary General of INTERCARGO, affirms the escalating significance of ESG within the dry bulk shipping community. He advocates for widespread adoption of the ESG agenda across all sectors, citing its potential to spur innovation, fortify resilience, and ensure enduring success.

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.