Is too much expected of shipping on environmental matters? That was the topic for discussion at this morning\u2019s parliamentary debate at the Sea Asia conference in Singapore.<\/p>\n
Chaired by Esben Poulsson, chairman of the International Chamber of Shipping, the debate covered regulatory areas of water management, fuel regulations, and decarbonisation and how these impact all players in the maritime space with plenty of calls from participants for level playing fields.<\/p>\n
Arguing for the motion were Dr George Pateras, president of the Hellenic Chamber of Shipping, Friedrich Bunnemann, managing partner of Asiatic Lloyd Maritime and Ali Shehab, deputy CEO at Kuwait Oil Tanker Company (KOTC).<\/p>\n
Pateras kicked the debate off, telling the audience that when it came to the sulphur cap refiners had passed the buck to \u201cunprotected\u201d shipowners, saying the shipping community was being \u201cheld hostage\u201d as the days tick down to the IMO regulation.<\/p>\n
\u201cPolicing of our industry leaves a lot to be desired. We must all insist on a level playing field, the same for all,\u201d Pateras said, claiming that by comparison aviation got off very lightly. This, he said, was down to weak lobbying on behalf of shipping.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur industry is over regulated and over policed. We have made huge advances on enviromental protection on a volunrary basis. No other industry has done so much on a volunrary basis,\u201d Pateras claimed. Later on in the debate, Pateras would go on to say that regulations were wrong and not keeping up with reality.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t forget cows produce far more pollution than we do, why not regulate the cows?\u201d Pateras quipped.<\/p>\n
Also supporting the motion was KOTC\u2019s Shebab who said current regulations were \u201cbarking up the wrong tree\u201d.<\/p>\n
The IMO 2020 introduction had brought in far too many complications, he complained.<\/p>\n
Rouding out the pro-motion side, Asiatic Lloyd\u2019s Bunnemann said of shipping\u2019s decarbonisation pledges made last year, \u201cWe\u2019re only the industry who has committed to such drastic targets.\u201d Bunnemann said shipping ran on extremely tight operating margins.<\/p>\n
\u201cPricing power is something we are lacking in the shipping inustry. We\u2019re price takers and have become commoditised. How can we as shipowners and the shipping industry invest more into environmental matters if we don\u2019t get paid for it?\u201d he questioned.<\/p>\n
Bunnermann said that the IMO has failed to achieve proper progress over the last decades and concluded his argument by suggesting that the world\u2019s population as a whole will need to help shipping pay to clean it up.<\/p>\n
Among those arguing against the motion was Dr \u015eadan Kaptano\u011flu, president designate of BIMCO, and managing director of HI Kaptano\u011flu Shipping.<\/p>\n
She took to the stage arguing for more swift regulation, not less.<\/p>\n
\u201cFellow shipowners forget it is the pressure from the public, consumers that force governments to regulate. We need more regulation, not less,\u201d she said, while echoing many other speakers calling for global solutions and level playing fields.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you are defensive, if you are reactive, regulations come on you. We have to be proactive so lawmakers can see we are making our own regulations,\u201d Kaptano\u011flu said.<\/p>\n
Professor Christine Loh from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and a former secretary of the environment in Hong Kong, raised a few laughs in her five minute put-down of the motion, using her seasoned political skills to good effect.<\/p>\n
Describing the future as \u201cdire\u201d Loh labelled her opponents in the debate as frogs in hot water, as well as dismissing them as \u201clittle boys\u201d.<\/p>\n
Loh said many in shipping were passing the buck, blaming others, but the general public had an increasingly dim view of shipping and its \u201cfat cats\u201d.<\/p>\n
Last up was Jeremy Nixon, the CEO of Japanese liner Ocean Network Express (ONE), who has this week in speeches made clear his green beliefs.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe global planet is in much difficulty at the moment,\u201d Nixon said, citing the increasing global population, climate change and increasing temperatures.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur customers \u2026 expect us to respect the planet. We all should find ways to make our shipping and logistics systems carbon neutral,\u201d Nixon said, describing shipping\u2019s march towards decarbonisation as a \u201cbottom up, top down process\u201d.<\/p>\n
From the audience, Michael Parker, Citigroup\u2019s well known ship financier, made clear he was not in favour of the motion. \u201cA current is regulation \u2026 if you dont get with the flow your ventures will end and the reason is the money,\u201d Parker said, pointing out the billions of dollars primed by private equity keen to invest in environmentally friendly industries.<\/p>\n
Douglas Hsu, chairman of Taiwanese shipowner U-Ming, chipped in, saying: \u201cI\u2019m a shipowner, I\u2019m an environmentalist. There are owners who are not responsible. Those who are struggling will not talk about the environment.\u201d<\/p>\n
Andreas Sohmen-Pao, chairman of BW Group, also gave the audience his thoughts on the debate, saying: \u201cWe have a critical situation for the planet\u2026 The question is how best to fulfill our responsibility. I support the environment, I support regulation. How can we do better in getting better regulation?\u201d<\/p>\n
A local unidentified Indonesian owner then took the microphone saying the millions of dollars Indonesian shipowners would need to spend on the sulphur cap would create many bankruptcies. Local energy giant Pertamina does not have the compliant fuel ready in time for the cap\u2019s introduction, he claimed, adding that, in his view, shipping was the most regulated industry in the world.<\/p>\n
Of the approximate 300 delegates in the room the vote went against roughly 40:60 \u2013 a majority felt shipping should be doing more to protect the environment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Is too much expected of shipping on environmental matters? That was the topic for discussion at this morning\u2019s parliamentary debate at the Sea Asia conference in Singapore. Chaired by Esben Poulsson, chairman of the International Chamber of Shipping, the debate covered regulatory areas of water management, fuel regulations, and decarbonisation and how these impact all …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":104323,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_ml_titleColor":"#000000","_ml_titleFont":"Roboto","_ml_titleFontSize":1.136,"_ml_titleFontWeight":"400","_ml_titleLineHeight":1.3,"_ml_metaColor":"#708090","_ml_metaFont":"Montserrat","_ml_metaFontSize":0.6785,"_ml_metaFontWeight":"400","_ml_metaLineHeight":0.92,"_ml_bodyColor":"#a9a9a9","_ml_bodyFont":"Open Sans","_ml_bodyFontSize":0.85,"_ml_bodyFontWeight":"400","_ml_bodyLineHeight":1.2,"_ml_wooPriceColor":"#666","_ml_wooPriceFont":"Open Sans","_ml_wooPriceFontSize":0.9,"_ml_wooPriceFontWeight":"400","_ml_wooPriceLineHeight":1.27,"_ml_headingColor":"#000","_ml_headingFont":"Merriweather","_ml_headingFontSize":2.02,"_ml_headingFontWeight":"700","_ml_headingLineHeight":1.47,"_mlglobal_userfontcolors":{"headingColorUser":[],"titleColorUser":[],"metaColorUser":[],"bodyColorUser":[],"wooPriceColorUser":[]},"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[80,62],"tags":[103,149,151],"yoast_head":"\n