What is World Maritime Day?
As part of the United Nations' (UN) responsibility, international days are recognized as a means of raising awareness and educating the wider public about issues relating to global problems, which thus creates a pathway for these problems to be addressed and advocated by humanity. One of the these international days observed is World Maritime Day.
This day was created by the International Maritime Organization also known as the IMO, a body of the United Nations responsible for the safety and the security of shipping and the prevention of marine and atmospheric pollution by ships. This year the IMO chose to recognize World Maritime Day on Thursday September 24th 2020. For each year, there is a new theme for which the focus would be centered around. This year’s theme is:
“Sustainable shipping for a sustainable planet.”
According to the IMO, this theme aims to provide an opportunity to raise awareness of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in particular SDG 13: Climate Action and SDG 14: Life Below Water, in addition to showcasing the work that the IMO and its Member States are currently undertaking to achieve the targets.
How exactly is the IMO promoting sustainable shipping?
The IMO as stated above is the body responsible for the safety and security of shipping and the prevention of marine and atmospheric pollution by ships. Part of their responsibility is to cover all aspects of international shipping which includes overlooking ship design, construction, equipment, manning, operation and disposal. These are all important duties of the IMO as they can ensure that the ships are constructed safely and in accordance to environmentally friendly practices which essentially aids in the sustainable shipping agenda. This is just one of the ways in which the IMO is contributing to its theme of sustainable shipping. Other ways they have undertaken and are still developing in order to promote sustainable shipping include:
Reducing greenhouse emissions
Reducing the sulfur content of ships’ fuel oil
Implementing the Ballast Water Management Convention *
Protecting the polar regions
Reducing marine litter
Improving shipping efficiency through the electronic exchange of information
*The Ballast Water Management Convention is aimed to prevent the spread of harmful aquatic organisms from one region to another, by establishing standards which manages and controls ships’ ballast water and sediments.
Did you know? Ballast water is either fresh or saltwater which is stored in the ballast tanks and cargo holds of ships. Its purpose is to provide stability and ensure that the vessel is easy to maneuver during voyage when there is no cargo being carried by the ship.
You may ask yourself, why is there a need for sustainable shipping and how would it contribute to a sustainable planet?
Let’s think. Have you ever given any thought on how some of your food has arrived into the country? What about vehicles, how did they move from their country of manufacture to countries around the world?
The answer is through the maritime transport and the shipping industry.
Shipping and maritime transport can be considered as the backbone of world trade and globalization. Ships carry cargoes around the world twenty four hours a day, year round, and as time progresses and world becomes more developed, it is expected that global trade would increase and henceforth shipping would also increase.
Global trade through shipping plays a pivotal role in lifting communities out of poverty as it provides a means of access to basic goods and products. Maritime transport is therefore essential in achieving economic growth and spreading prosperity throughout the world. The reason for the maritime transportation industry being considered as the backbone of global trade is due to the efficiency of shipping and it being a fairly cost-effective method.
More than 80% of the global trade to people and communities all over the world is done by international shipping transportation. Thereby, with maritime transportation playing such a large role in the global trade sector, it is expected to come with its consequences. Similar to all other modes of transport which utilizes fossil fuels, the shipping sector releases carbon dioxide emissions, in particular black carbon along with nitrous oxides and nitrogen oxides into the atmosphere which has significant contribution to the global phenomena known as climate change.
The Third IMO GHG Study 2014 estimated that international shipping emitted 796 million tonnes of carbon dioxide in 2012 which accounted for approximately 2.2% of the total global anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions for that year.
The IMO also gave evidence which suggests that these emissions from the international shipping sector could potentially increase between 50%-250% by the year 2050 depending on the growth of maritime trade. This is another reason why the IMO is becoming more actively engaged in ways which improve shipping efficiency and introduce measures where greenhouse gas emissions from ships can be reduced. By ensuring that there is safe international shipping, it would lead to future sustainable economic growth in a sustainable manner and thus promoting a sustainable planet.
What are some ways in which the IMO are undertaking to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions and therefore reduce the impacts associated with climate change?
A committee of the IMO known as the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) under the MARPOL* has adopted two mandatory strategies which aim to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions from international shipping. These strategies include:
1. The Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI)
2. The Ship Energy Efficiency Management Plan (SEEMP)
*MARPOL is the main international convention which aims to prevent the pollution from ships caused by operational or accidental causes.
These two strategies essentially aim at improving energy efficiency of ships. One method the IMO has suggested as a means to improve energy efficiency is through a slow steaming. This is the process by which the ships’ operational speed is slowed down, or the ship’s engine is not used at its full potential. In essence, this practice saves fuel and therefore reduces the amount to carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases entering into the atmosphere. Speed reductions have been shown to be a very quick, easy and cost effective method of minimizing the greenhouse gas emissions from ships. Studies have shown that reducing ship speed by 10% can reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions by 27%.
What are some other ways in which sustainable shipping can be practiced?
There have been talks on the use of alternative fuels as a means of reducing the greenhouse gas emissions from the shipping industry. For instance, the IMO has stated that biofuels could be a potential fuel source as their properties are similar to regular hydrocarbon fuels that are used in the vessels. However, before it is used, it must be ensured that the biofuel is being made from a sustainable feedstock.
They have also considered other fuel types including hydrogen or electric and hybrid power. The IMO recognizes that the use of alternative energy sources for international shipping would be a fundamental step in order to achieve one of their main goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the international shipping sector.
A small look into Trinidad and Tobago’s maritime industry
It can be said that our country has a very prominent maritime industry. We are the Caribbean’s leading exports in petroleum and petroleum products, liquified natural gas (LNG), steel products, urea and food products. Home to thirty official ports, Trinidad and Tobago’s ports spread throughout the country however the majority are spread on the western part of the island. In addition to this, our country has two major cargo ports; Port of Point Lisas and Port of Port of Spain.
Seeing that the maritime industry is a very active one in our country, there should be an emphasis on sustainable shipping amongst the industry. The idea of sustainability however is still a relatively new concept for Trinbagonians. In addition to this, there hasn’t been much government action to combat the topic but we can only hope that in the near future, enough awareness is raised about the importance of practicing sustainable patterns and that our country can catch up with the rest of the world in taking actions to preserve and maintain our environment.
This concludes my post for today. I hope it was informative and that you learnt a couple new things today. Your feedback would be well appreciated in the comments below and also feel free to ask any questions you may have regarding the topic. Also, as most of you may know, today our beautiful twin island country of Trinidad and Tobago is celebrating our 44th year as a Republic state, so here’s wishing our reading community from Trinidad and Tobago a Happy Republic Day!
Sources:
https://www.transportenvironment.org/what-we-do/shipping-and-environment/shipping-and-climate-change
https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/636488-Haag-Estimations%20of%20the%20contribution%20of%20international%20shipping%20to%20greenhouse%20gas%20emissions.pdf