In the latest Leadership Insights webinar, held jointly by the Asian Shipowners’ Association and the International Chamber of Shipping, leaders in shipping from across the Asia Pacific regions came together to discuss outcomes of the Shaping the Future of Shipping summit, and next steps for the shipping industry’s green energy transition.

Collaboration

Cooperation and collaboration were the key themes that emerged throughout the latest Leadership Insights webinar, with all panellists emphasising the need for working together rather than in silos.

Yuichi Sonoda, Secretary General of the Asian Shipowners’ Association, began the proceedings with a warning that, although 2050 is the goal for net zero carbon emissions, it is this decade that is crucial for making changes.

This was supported by Dr Sanjay Kuttan, Chief Technology Officer, Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation, Singapore, who said that there needs to be a common agenda to bring people together, with a practical approach for an objective driven collaborative partnership.

ICS Secretary General Guy Platten told attendees that the time for talking is over, and that the launch of the Clean Energy Marine Hubs (CEMH) initiative at the Clean Energy Ministerial in Pittsburgh the previous week, will enable industry cooperation to increase.

Concrete plans

Dr Sanjay Kuttan said that there needs to be key pathways for development of new technologies, and that clear articulation is necessary to help researchers take a targeted approach to help solve problems in decarbonisation pathways.

Kanghyun Song, Senior Vice President & Head of Decarbonisation, Korean Register, highlighted that there is a wealth of information that comes from various stakeholders.

When asked the question, who should set the pace for decarbonisation? Panellist Caroline Yang responded with the question, who pays for the green transition? Caroline Yang then went on to say it must be all parties involved, including shipowners, shipbuilders, governments and banks. If it is only one party contributing, the transition will never take off.

Seafarers

Kenneth Lim, Assistant Chief Executive (Industry & Transformation) at Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore, highlighted that seafarers will need a new skillset to handle the decarbonisation of the shipping industry.

When asked by moderator Dr Shahrin Osman about the future of seafarers, Caroline Yang highlighted that training seafarers for a multi-fuel future will be a challenge. The upcoming publication of a report, looking into what skillset seafarers will need in the future, will hopefully be able to feed into policies for seafarer training and welfare.

Wrapping up the Leadership Insights, Guy Platten looked to the future with positivity. Mr Platten said that the CEMH initiative was received positively, with governments continuing to express their interest in being involved, and that looking to the future COP27 is an opportunity to showcase the industry’s ambitious decarbonisation plans.

To watch the webinar, please click here.