World Gas Conference

28th World Gas Conference 

Impact of sustainability to maritime industry

Ladies and gentlemen, excellencies,

it is a pleasure to be here today to speak about the maritime sector and its mission to accelerate the energy revolution and decarbonize, and most importantly the role of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in these endeavors.

IMO is the international shipping's global standard-setting authority for safety, security, efficiency and environmental performance of international shipping, with a comprehensive body of 50 international conventions.

These govern a ship's life-cycle from the cradle to the grave: from ship design and construction, through ship navigation, education and training of maritime personnel, liability and compensation after accidents, to ship recycling.

As you are well aware, shipping is invaluable to global trade and economic growth, as demonstrated during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Shipping carries more than 80 per cent of world trade, largely because ships enjoy unrivalled superiority over all other forms of transport when it comes to carrying cargo cost effectively, efficiently, cleanly and safely.

To this end, we at IMO work tirelessly to constantly enhance our global regulatory framework.

At present our efforts are focused on shipping's contribution to the global mission to combat climate change and to lead international shipping into a digital future.

This fits perfectly with your theme for this year's conference that looks forward to 'A Sustainable Future', a goal we all share.

The whole shipping industry is voyaging through substantial changes to meet the demands for sustainable transport.

IMO adopted the first mandatory global measures to improve ships' energy efficiency more than a decade ago, in 2011, which have since been strengthened constantly.

You may be familiar with IMO's initial GHG strategy, which was adopted in 2018 with a clear vision to phase out GHG emissions from international shipping as soon as possible this century and by at least 50% by 2050, compared to 2008.

Despite the challenges related to the pandemic, IMO Member States worked intensely to move forward on GHG matters.

In 2021, IMO adopted a comprehensive set of measures to achieve the strategy's ambitious goals, which will take effect on 1 November 2022. These are real, tangible, mandatory global regulations.

However, we need accelerated action in this decade to set the path for shipping's decarbonization, in line with the objectives of the 2015 Paris Agreement and the Glasgow Climate Pact adopted at COP 26 and the most recent IPCC climate reports.

IMO is ready to act. The upgraded IMO Greenhouse Gas Strategy is set to be adopted mid-2023.

The key element of the strategy is an enhanced level of ambition in line with global agreements, to accelerate the reduction of GHG emissions from international shipping towards its decarbonization by the middle of this century.

To incentivize R&D of low- and zero carbon fuels and the uptake of these new fuels, IMO Member States have already initiated discussions on a maximum carbon-content for marine fuels as well as on market-based measures, such as a GHG levy, ETS, feebate or an incentive scheme for zero emission vessels.

Without a doubt, achieving these decarbonization ambitions in the shipping sector will rely on new technologies, innovation and R&D to ensure a smooth transition to alternative low- and zero-carbon marine fuels.

And we already see the progress. There are already over 280 LNG fueled ships in operation with almost 100 ports supplying LNG fuel, with the numbers increasing year by year

I have every confidence that progress will continue to be made at a global level, with the upgraded IMO GHG Strategy, setting the path for the way ahead.

The importance of global supply chains has become ever more apparent during the pandemic. The digitalization and automation of shipping to facilitate global maritime trade is one of IMO's top priorities.

IMO is working to enable shipping to embrace the digital revolution– while ensuring safety, boosting environmental protection and managing cyber security risks to facilitate sustainable maritime transport.

Major changes and challenges lie ahead for the maritime sector, and these will have considerable repercussions for the maritime workforce, in particular seafarers.

As seafarers are indispensable for shipping, IMO is working continuously to address these challenges and operate the green and digital ships of the future safely and securely.

Ladies and gentlemen,

We all need to collaborate to upgrade our ambition while pursuing digitalization and automation to ensure sustainable shipping.

I hope for your support to achieve our common goal of a sustainable future for all.

Thank you.