Viet Nam ASEAN Maritime Transport Working Group Meeting

44th ASEAN Maritime Transport Working Group Meeting (MTWG 44), Viet Nam

It is a great pleasure to be able to share my thoughts with you today on the International Maritime Organization’s role for shipping, the major policy issues of digitalization and decarbonization, as well as the importance of cooperation.

I would like to express my appreciation to the Government of Vietnam, and the ASEAN Member States for inviting me to join this session of your Maritime Transport Working Group Meeting. Our regular representation in these meetings truly showcases the strong collaboration and partnership between IMO and ASEAN representatives, which support our continuous efforts to elevate the maritime sector's profile.

The maritime industry drives the world's economy and its growth. The pandemic and global challenges have shown us that we must continuously work with all stakeholders to ensure the resilience of the supply chain is protected to facilitate international trade. This is a notion that all of you can certainly agree with here in Asia, one of the major trade hubs. As the global regulator for shipping, IMO continues to ensure that the maritime sector delivers cargo safely, securely and sustainably around the world, with continuous improvements in efficiency. For over 70 years, the comprehensive set of standards adopted by IMO to regulate the 70,000-plus merchant ships operating worldwide has constantly evolved to keep up with lessons learned from incidents and from new demands, such as the imperatives of tackling climate change and accommodating changing technology. IMO's work on safety, security and facilitation of marine traffic remains at the core of our mission, along with our efforts to protect the oceans. Shipping's priorities now must embrace decarbonization, alongside digitalization and automation, ensuring that maritime personnel, and especially seafarers, are adequately equipped to drive this transition and benefit from future developments. I am of the firm believe that everyone in the maritime community can reap the advantages provided by embracing the future of shipping, if we ensure a level playing field through the effective and uniform implementation of our global regulatory framework, leaving no one behind.

Ladies and gentlemen,

I believe that digitalization is key to guiding the future of shipping and in strengthening the resilience of the global supply chain. IMO is working to ensure shipping can embrace both digitalization and automation, which together have the potential to enhance safety, to improve environmental performance, and to ensure a more efficient and sustainable industry. This will only be achieved with greater levels of collaboration. We will push for a renewed focus on increasing cooperation between shipping, ports, and logistics operators to provide a global forum for communication. I believe this will be vital for efficient and sustainable shipping and consequently global trade and economic prosperity.

It is clear that we are voyaging through an immense transition to support global efforts towards a sustainable future by decarbonizing shipping by utilizing developments in digitalization, automation, ship design, propulsion technology, and fuels. But we need accelerated action in this critical decade. To decarbonize a truly global industry, global solutions are needed, developed and adopted by IMO. In just a few weeks, IMO will adopt the upgraded IMO Decarbonization Strategy. This essential work must be completed to set shipping on the path towards decarbonization in line with the objectives of the Paris Agreement. I am certain that I can count on the support of the ASEAN Member States in these deliberations providing leadership towards upgrading the levels of ambition of the Strategy. Without a doubt, achieving our decarbonization ambitions will rely on a smooth transition to alternative low- and zero-carbon marine fuels. IMO Member States have already started to consider technical and economic measures to incentivize the uptake of alternative fuels and innovative technologies. I am encouraged to see many initiatives and projects taking place worldwide on alternative low- and zero- carbon fuels, with early movers already in the process of ordering, building and retrofitting ships using these fuels. According to the latest Clarksons data, in 2022 61% of newbuild tonnage used alternative fuels. This is a clear indication that the industry is ready to support our efforts to decarbonize shipping.

This presents an opportunity to get the transition right and encourage all States to be part of it. But the transition has to be just and equitable. I see great opportunities for developing countries in the production and supply of low-carbon fuels and to support these efforts, IMO has put in place a number of projects supporting capacity-building, innovation, financing and technology transfer. All our initiatives have one common goal – to strengthen partnerships, build capacity, accelerate innovation and technology uptake, and address the challenges faced by developing countries. No one should be left behind on this journey.

To major changes and challenges lie ahead for the maritime sector. These will have a considerable impact on the maritime workforce, in particular seafarers. It is imperative that education, training and skills evolve, and IMO continues to engage with Member States and industry towards that end. But the transition can also enable the shipping sector to reconnect with and attract the next generation of maritime personnel and seafarers in all regions of the world, many of whose careers will feature the renewable energy generation and energy efficiency technology that will be vital for shipping's future. We must rise to this challenge and create a workforce to operate the green and digital ships of the future safely and securely. The way forward is complex, but by working together with determination we will ensure that shipping will make a key contribution in the fight against climate change and facilitate the digitalization and automation of the maritime sector. 

Ladies and gentlemen,

ASEAN Member States are crucially important for sustainable global growth and world trade. In maritime, all of you here today play a significant role in shipping commerce, ship building, logistics and seafarer supply. We all have a part to play to push innovative thinking to develop and implement solutions for decarbonization and a digital future. To keep pace with the demands of the global economy and the expectations for sustainable growth, the maritime world needs to be in the forefront of transformational change: in combating climate change for the benefit of the entire sector while ensuring a voyage together across nations.

I am looking forward to the discussions during this session as we explore together opportunities for cooperation between IMO and ASEAN.

Thank you.