Tag: Rio+20

Important steps to reduce shipping emissions

World Maritime Day 2013 will be observed during the week of 23 to 27 September.

'Sustainable Development: IMOs contribution beyond Rio+20' IMO Secretary-General Koji Sekimizu has launched this year's World Maritime Day theme, "Sustainable development: IMO's contribution beyond Rio+20", calling on Governments and the shipping industry to join together and provide a positive contribution towards formulating sustainable maritime development goals.Speaking at a reception to mark the launch of the theme, at the end of the first day of the 56th session of the Sub-Committee on Fire Protection (FP), Mr. Sekimizu said that, as the United Nations' international regulatory body for shipping, IMO has been, and continues to be, the focal point for, and the driving force behind, efforts to ensure that the industry becomes greener and cleaner."I am confident that, through this initiative, the theme chosen by the IMO Council for the 2013 World Maritime Day, - "Sustainable development: IMO's contribution beyond Rio+20" - will be something in which IMO, the shipping industry and all other stakeholders, who are keen to turn the concept of sustainability into a tangible reality, will be able to join together, and make a very positive contribution," he said.The development of sustainable development goals for the maritime transport sector, will be IMO's own contribution to the United Nations led work ...

Speaking during UN Global Compact (UNGC) Corporate Sustainability Forum in Rio "We must invest more in research and innovation in order to continuously improve the key renewable technologies. This will drive down life cycle costs and make renewable energy more competitive," said Elisabeth Tørstad, Chief Operating Officer for DNV's Division Americas and Sub-Saharan Africa.Speaking during the UN Global Compact (UNGC) Corporate Sustainability Forum in Rio, Tørstad highlighted DNV's voluntary commitment to the Rio+20 process to reinvest 6% of annual revenue into its research and innovation activities."Sharing technology knowledge is a key driver for success, and we will continue to be actively engaged in developing new technologies and methodologies in order to better serve the transitions to a low-carbon economy," she pointed out."DNV's commitment to Energy for All is deeply anchored in our vision to have a global impact for a safe and sustainable future," added Bjørn K. Haugland, DNV Group Chief Technology and Sustainability Officer. "Our research & innovation efforts include the development of international standards and guidelines that will ensure that growth in energy access in developing countries is achieved with optimum solutions for environmental sustainability and low carbon development." Transformational change Addressing high level business executives and government ...

Goals for sustainability, fossil fuel, oceans, green economy Global leaders on Friday wrap up a United Nations development summit with little to show but a lackluster agreement, as critics scorned governments for showing no urgency to tackle climate change as well as food and water scarcity.Nearly 100 heads of state and government gathered over the past three days in efforts to establish so-called "sustainable development goals," a U.N. drive built around economic growth, the environment, and social inclusion.The agreement, seen by Reuters, was little changed from a draft text on Tuesday apart from grammatical tweaks.Some of the main areas it covered are outlined below.SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS (SDGs)It was hoped that Rio+20 would hammer out goals across core areas like food security, water and energy.But expectations were low that it would produce a defined set of mandatory measures with timeliness because politicians are more focused on the global financial crisis and unrest in the Middle East.The agreement proposed launching a process to agree on sustainable development goals, or SDGs, which will likely build on and overlap with a current round of objectives known as the millennium development goals, which U.N. members agreed to pursue at least through 2015."We resolve to establish ...

During Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting sustainable maritime development during a side-event organized at the Rio+20 UN Conference on Sustainable Development in this Brazilian city.IMO Secretary-General Koji Sekimizu said promoting sustainable shipping and sustainable maritime development would be one of the major priorities of his tenure as IMO secretary general."Shipping is an essential component of any program for sustainable development. The world relies on a safe, secure and efficient international shipping industry, and this is provided by the comprehensive regulatory framework developed and maintained by IMO," Sekimizu said.He presented his vision at the panel discussion on "Sustainable Maritime Development - Contribution of Maritime Transport to Green Growth and Inclusive Development".Sekimizu said through its technical co-operation activities, IMO helps build capacity to enable developing countries to participate fully in maritime activities."This generates wealth, jobs and economic activity not only in the maritime sector but in other areas that rely on maritime trade for access to global markets," Sekimizu said."The development and implementation, through IMO, of global standards covering maritime safety, environmental protection, maritime security and the facilitation of maritime traffic, will underpin green and sustainable shipping and confirm ...

Saving fuel and reducing emissions Hybrid energy system for merchant ships which couples a fuel cell with advanced batteries, saving fuel and reducing emissions, named to Sustainia100 - a guide to 100 society-transforming, sustainable and readily available solutions.Sustainability legend Gro Harlem Brundtland, EU Commissioner for Climate Action Connie Hedegaard, Dr. Rajendra Pachauri, Chairman UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and 150 VIP guests celebrated the first concrete outcome at Rio+20: the launch of Sustainia100."On behalf of DNV and our partners Wärtsila and Eidesvik, I would like to say we are honored that this panel of global sustainability leaders considers FellowSHIP among the top sustainable solutions available today," said Bjørn K. Haugland, DNV Group Chief Technology and Sustainability Officer. "Commercial shipping is recognized as one of the growing sources of carbon emissions. The FellowSHIP maritime hybrid energy system, pairing a fuel cell with batteries, can reduce emissions by up to 50% and boost fuel efficiency by up to 30% over conventional maritime propulsion systems."The Norway-based FellowSHIP project, an R&D collaboration between DNV, Wartsila, and Eidesvik, is demonstrating the use of a fuel cell integrated with a battery pack aboard the Viking Lady (photo courtesy: Eidesvik)Gathered from 56 countries spread over six ...

Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting sustainable maritime development, during a side-event organized by IMO on 20 June at the Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.Presenting his vision at the panel discussion on "Sustainable Maritime Development - Contribution of Maritime Transport to Green Growth and Inclusive Development", IMO Secretary-General Koji Sekimizu said that the promotion of sustainable shipping and sustainable maritime development would be one of the major priorities of his tenure as IMO Secretary-General."Shipping is an essential component of any programme for sustainable development. The world relies on a safe, secure and efficient international shipping industry, and this is provided by the comprehensive regulatory framework developed and maintained by IMO," Mr. Sekimizu said."Through its technical co-operation activities, IMO helps build capacity to enable developing countries to participate fully in maritime activities. This generates wealth, jobs and economic activity not only in the maritime sector but in other areas that rely on maritime trade for access to global markets," Mr. Sekimizu said."The development and implementation, through IMO, of global standards covering maritime safety, environmental protection, maritime security and the facilitation of maritime ...

The Sustainia100 award Maersk Line's Triple-E class joins the ranks of the world's top 100 sustainable solutions. The Sustainia100 award was announced at Rio+20. At the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD), Maersk Line's Triple-E class was chosen for a prestigious list of innovative solutions that drive sustainable development.Standing for Economy of scale, Energy efficiency, and Environmentally improved, the Triple-E ships set a new standard for how world trade is conducted. The ships will reduce CO2 emissions by more than 50% per container moved compared to the current industry averages on the Asia-Europe trade."We need to make more people aware of these solutions and inspire more to act. With the Sustainia100 there is no excuse for not choosing a sustainable path to the future" said Gro Harlem Brundtland, former prime minister of Norway, former director general of the World Health Organisation and a member of the Elders Team. Sustainia100 is a complete guide to innovative and scalable solutions to create desirable and sustainable societies. The solutions are gathered from 56 countries and businesses and represent sustainable innovation in areas such as city planning, energy, fashion, water and waste management, high-tech and transportation."We are thrilled that Maersk Line's next generation ...

AUSREP - Changes to come into effect on July 1st The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) issued a notice announcing changes to the Australian Ship Reporting System (AUSREP). The changes incorporate the Automatic Identification System (AIS) technology into AUSREP and come into effect on 1 JulyThe purpose of this Marine Notice is to tell mariners about changes to the Australian Ship Reporting System (AUSREP) established by Marine Order 63(AUSREP) (MO 63) to take effect on 1 July 2012.AUSREPAUSREP is a ship reporting system designed to contribute to safety of life at sea and is operated by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) through the Australian Rescue Coordination Centre (RCC Australia) in Canberra. Consistent with Australia's obligations under the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), MO 63 provides a system for the reporting of the movement, or intended movement, of ships within the Australian ship reporting area (AUSREP area).Amendments to AUSREP AMSA is in transition from AUSREP to a Modernised Australian Ship Tracking and Reporting System (MASTREP) through Automatic Identification System (AIS) technology, which automates ships' positional reporting, increasing the timeliness and accuracy of data, covering a much larger area and numberof ships operating within the Australian ...