Class & fuel
Burning issues ‘Sustainable’ shipping T
he buzzword amongst shipping’s environmentalists is now ‘Sustainability’. Like many other developments in the industry, it has taken time to catch on. The Brundtland Report in 1987 defined sustainable development as ‘meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.’
Many ship operators have not even stopped to think about it yet. And, as most ships are fuelled by a finite resource, it is hard to see how it can be transformed into a sustainable activity. But the environmentalists believe its sustainable profile can be radically improved today, and possible made fully sustainable some time in the future.
Cutting carbon emissions is probably the number one challenge. So maybe the IMO got its priorities wrong, some suggest, by focusing first on SOx emissions. If cutting CO2 had been the primary aim, they suggest, SOx and NOx reductions would probably have been achieved as useful spin-offs. Of course, hindsight is always helpful and, whether this criticism is fair or not, the IMO has certainly proved the catalyst in generating a whole range of new environmental initiatives. But there is no getting away from the fact that new fuel regulations do not address the fundamental issue of climate change. As a result, experts argue, international shipping
is scurrying to meet short-term environmental targets which are only marginally relevant, rather than addressing the more fundamental challenge of making the global ocean transport business truly sustainable. Katharine Palmer, new head of the environmental team at Lloyd’s Register (LR) and ex shipping environmental manager at BP, says ‘sustainability’ is a word bandied about too readily. She says it means protecting the environment through balanced investment decisions taken in light of social, economic and strategic issues.
– it’s a project for the next year or two. What I don’t see is enough long- term planning. However, some clients are setting targets,’ she says, ‘and more are doing so, as they seek to improve energy efficiency, cut fuel costs, and incidentally reduce their carbon footprints.’
But she still believes that the Palmer – long term vision
She is critical of the way much of the industry thinks. ‘Our thinking is too short term,’ she says. ‘Sustainability is a long-term goal. And we’re not just looking at ships … we’re looking at the entire supply chain.’
She gives examples of short-term compliance with sulphur regulations and ballast water treatment systems. ‘This is all very short term
industry is obsessed with short-term measures and cites LNG as an example, ‘It only offers half a solution,’ she says, referring to the fact that it is still carbon-based and may not cut CO2 emissions, when taking its own supply chain fully into account, as much as some believe. ‘It is not the big shift that is really needed.’ Launch of the Sustainable Shipping Initiative (SSI) last September, she believes, was an important step in bringing together interests from across the industry – including owners, customers, banks and the non-governmental organisation Forum for the Future. Founded by Maersk, Gearbulk, BP Shipping, Lloyd’s Register, ABN Amro and WWF, the SSI has since been joined by Cargill, Daewoo, Rio Tinto, marine insurer RSA, Tsakos Energy Navigation and Wärtsilä. It is in the process of developing a vision for sustainable shipping, due to be launched in November.
Jacob Sterling, Maersk’s head of climate and environment, explains: ‘We think that sustainable shipping is about delivering transportation services that can facilitate global trade in a manner that has a positive impact on the world’s economies and very limited negative impact on
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