Koji Sekimizu [pictured], Secretary-General of the
International Maritime Organization (IMO), has today said that 'the whole community' should absorb the cost to produce low sulphur fuel for marine use.
Speaking at the
Connecticut Maritime Association Conference in Stamford, United States, Sekimizu said that because of the issue of price, low sulphur fuel should be provided by the oil industry, however the cost should not only be for shipping to absorb, but the entire community.
Sekimizu also said that the shipping community should enjoy access to clean energy like other industries and demand the same clean fuels formulated to produce fewer harmful emissions.
The Secretary-General also used Finland as an example for others to follow in terms of offering clear incentives for the development of energy-efficient technologies for shipping.
Please find Sekimizu's words on sustainable development below:
Koji Sekimizu - Secretary-General, International Maritime Organization
'Regulatory Environment', 19 March 2013
Shipping already contributes significantly to the three pillars of sustainable development – social, environmental and economic. But clear, identifiable sustainable development goals for shipping and maritime industries are needed. And it is my view that IMO, as the United Nations’ international regulatory body for shipping, is the proper place for this to be done.
IMO must continue to take the lead in supporting shipping and I have defined eight key elements or ‘pillars’, the promotion of which will, I believe, help to achieve the sustainable maritime development goals. They are:
• safety culture and environmental stewardship;
• energy efficiency;
• new technology and innovation;
• maritime education and training;
• maritime security and counter-piracy measures;
• maritime traffic management;
• maritime infrastructure development; and
• implementation of global standards developed, adopted and maintained by IMO.
They are all components of our sustainable shipping and maritime transportation system. These are areas in which I would like to establish meaningful targets, so that, through the activities of IMO, we will attempt to achieve the sustainability of shipping.
In order to ensure the sustainability of the maritime transportation system, you cannot find all the answers only from discussions within the shipping industry itself. Policy discussions among a wide range of stakeholders and policy makers are required.
Take, for example, the sulphur emission requirements. The shipping industry cannot produce fuel. So the discussions on how to move forward must involve not only shipping, but also ship designers, the oil and refinery industries and port developers; and it is essential that Governments and policy makers establish clear policies so that industry partners can make proper and timely investment to meet the targets and desired objectives.
I recently visited Finland, where I was impressed to see its Government’s active involvement, offering clear incentives for the development of energy-efficiency technologies for shipping. I think theirs could be an example that others might wish to follow.
IMO has been dealing with the control of emissions from ships since 1990, and I have personally been involved in developments for much of that time.
Automobiles, aviation, power generation and households have been enjoying clean energy for some time. But ships have traditionally used heavy oil as fuel, which means they have burnt the dirtiest fuel that can be commercially obtained from crude oil, out in the ocean, far from land.
However, coastal States increasingly are concerned about air pollution and its impact on the health of their citizens; hence we see action on land, air and at sea.
If the world society wants clean air, the shipping community should also enjoy access to clean energy and should demand the same clean fuels formulated to produce fewer harmful emissions, as those available to other industries.
By the targets of 2015 and 2020, the necessary volume of low sulphur fuel should be provided by the oil and refinery industry but the price is a problem. The cost to produce low sulphur fuel for marine use should not only be for shipping to absorb. The whole community should absorb the cost. This would require policy debate: debates on the environment, clean air, energy supply and transportation.
Ladies and gentlemen, mankind must continue to develop. But what we now understand is that our development in the future must take full account of finite and diminishing resources and a fragile environment.
IMO has been regulating the environmental impact of shipping for decades. But, in the modern context, its environmental work has never seemed so relevant.
And, in the years to come, it will take on an even greater importance as sustainable development becomes not just we would like to achieve, but a necessity on which our future will depend.
As IMO has demonstrated over many years, regulation has been, and will continue to be, an essential element in promoting environmental stewardship – a core element of sustainable shipping.
