The use of biofuels or biofuel blends is one of many ways to comply with the IMO’s strategy on the reduction of GHG emissions from ships, and DNV has seen an increasing interest in these new fuels. This news aims to clarify the regulatory status and other considerations on the usage of such fuels. DNV has received many requests regarding…
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The 27th Conference of Parties (COP27) on Climate Change took place on November 6-20 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. The theme of the conference was “Delivering for People and the Planet.” COP27 President, Egypt Foreign Affairs Minister Sameh Shoukry, presided over the conference administered by the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Executive Secretary Simon Steill. The 193 member-countries and…
The conclusion of a successful 5-year initiative to protect the marine environment in South-East Asia from the negative effects of ships and shipping has been marked at a high-level meeting (25-27 October 2022) in Viet Nam with the adoption of a MEPSEAS-Halong Statement by the participating countries. The Marine Environment Protection of the South-East Asian Seas (MEPSEAS) project has seen…
The world celebrated Day of the Seafarer on Saturday 25 June, with a collective mix of memories and tales of life at sea. For 2022, the campaign of the Day of the Seafarer, with the theme ‘Your voyage – then and now, share your journey’, looked at seafarer voyages – what they include, how they have evolved over time, and what remains…
In February 2015, the Secretary-General established the IMO Goodwill Maritime Ambassador (IMO-GMA) Scheme. It aims to reach new target audiences and inspire a new generation of maritime experts and seafarers. The multi-faceted maritime world offers a series of rich and fulfilling career opportunities for young people, both at sea and ashore. Seafaring can provide young generations not only with an…
The Fourth IMO GHG Study Executive Summary has been published. This study is the first iteration since the adoption of the Initial IMO Strategy on Reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) Emissions from Ships in 2018, under which IMO Member States have pledged to cut GHG emissions from international shipping and to phase them out as soon as possible. The study…
Decarbonization remains the hot maritime topic this year as the clock ticks on reducing carbon intensity by 40 per cent. The need to comply with IMO 2030 is looming large for shipowners. Newbuild vessels are already expected to achieve compliance with the Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI). This initiative is designed to ensure newbuild vessels meet requisite levels of efficiency….
Wider use of LNG will speed up transition, but it can’t end there. In this decade, we’ll see more accelerated change in shipping fuels than we’ve seen in the last century. What does this heightened diversity mean for shipowners? They must be nimbler than ever – a shift that requires work. It means “greening” supply chains, bolstering energy efficiency, nurturing more…
With increasing demands on owners and operators to improve efficiency while also preparing for decarbonization targets, the maritime industry is facing multiple challenges. While the development of alternative fuels is a critical element in the decarbonization journey, the need to increase efficiency and reduce energy consumption is also a key part of this equation. Propulsion solutions are central to this…
Many actors including those[1] who participated in the recently published guide on “Just In Time” acknowledged the need for improved communication between ship and shore-side. Although, the guide focuses only on ships that sometimes wait due to the lack of updates from port stakeholders, it is also important and fair to remind that cooperation between shipping lines and port terminals…
World leaders are currently updating the laws for international waters that apply to most of the world’s ocean environment. This provides a unique opportunity, marine scientists argue this week, to introduce new techniques that allow protected zones to shift as species move under climate change. In an article in the 17-January-2020 issue of Science, researchers make the case for the United…
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and the Oil Spill Response Limited (OSRL) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to enhance the country’s capability to respond to oil spill in the morning of 24-February-2020. Vice Admiral George Ursabia of the PCG – Marine Environment Protection Command (MEPCOM) expressed his gratitude to the OSRL for their willingness to assist the PCG…
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Sustainable shipping for a sustainable planet has been selected as the World Maritime theme for 2020. This will provide an opportunity to raise awareness of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and showcase the work that the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and its Member States are undertaking to achieve the targets. The IMO Council, meeting for its 122nd session…
Seaspeak is the official language of navigators the world over. As the official language of the seas, Seaspeak helps to prevent any form of miscommunication. And since miscommunication can easily lead to serious and dangerous situations, seafarers use a specific language to prevent nay accidents from happening. Have you ever wondered how crews on ships at sea communicate? Nowadays, crews…
A mandatory requirement for national governments to introduce electronic information exchange between ships and ports came into effect on 8-April-2019. The aim is to make cross-border trade simpler and the logistics chain more efficient, for the more than 10 billion tons of goods which are traded by sea annually across the globe. The requirement, mandatory under IMO’s Convention on Facilitation…
In the first week of April, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) showed massive support agreeing to include maritime corruption as a regular work item on its agenda. A paper on the topic of maritime corruption was presented by the Marshall Islands with many countries and international organizations expressing their endorsement of a proposal to develop guidelines to assist all stakeholders…
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has launched a new logo for its Women in Maritime program, as part of its mission to support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. Program lead Helen Buni said: “The IMO Women in Maritime program supports the participation of women in both shore-based and sea-going…
During the China-ASEAN Dialogue between Senior Defense Scholars held at Beijing, China on 11 – 15 March 2008, I presented a paper on Confidence-Building Measures Towards Greater Regional Stability. Military modernization in China was being perceived in a way that caused concern to some countries which fear a repeat of the arms race during the Cold War on one hand…
Part I: MILITARY DANGERS AND ECONOMIC RISKS “War is the worst option. Peace is the common goal of all mankind…” — Sun Tzu, “The Art of War” Taiwan’s major newspaper, China Post’s headline on 06 April augured bad news for all of mankind because it announced a huge rise in military spending by countries around the world, thus: “Global military spending…
My involvement in the Spratlys, South China Sea and West Philippine Sea issue goes back a long way. As a junior officer, fresh from the Naval Academy, I was part of a secret mission sometime in 1971. I transported troops,weapons, equipment and supplies to the islands we occupied in Freedomland, now called the Kalayaan Island Group.
“I must down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky, and all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by.” (John Masefield)
It was a heartbreaking moment, losing out in a hotly-contested election for Secretary General of the London-based International Maritime Organization (IMO) last June 30, 2015 in London. The drama started in Philippine media when it was reported that Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) administrator Maximo Q Mejia Jr was among six people hoping to become the International Maritime Organization’s next secretary-general….
Lim Ki-tack, president of the Busan Port Authority in South Korea, has been elected the new Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization. Today’s decision was passed down by a secret ballet vote of the 40-member IMO Council, which is holding its 114 session this week. Lim beat out five other candidates from Cyprus, Russia, Philippines, Denmark and Kenya for the…