From: London International Shipping Week
10 September 2013
LISW Delegation Opens Stock Exchange
Inmarsat Maritime President Frank Coles headed up a London International Shipping Week delegation which included UK Shipping Minister Stephen Hammond to open trading at the London Stock Exchange today.
LISW Speakers, VIPs, UK Government representatives and key figures from the shipping industry gathered at the London Stock Exchange to open trading at 8am. It was a fitting start to the second day of London International Shipping Week, which has seen the global shipping industry descend on London to attend over 60 events including the official LISW conference and gala dinner onThursday Sept 12. Please find a selection of images taken at the opening of LISW at the LSE this morning.
Image LSE 1 – left to right:
- Linda Willson, Department for Transport
- Quentin Soanes – Baltic Exchange
- Jeremy Penn, Baltic Exchange
- Admiral Sir George Zambellas KCB DSC
- Stephen Hammond MP
- Frank Coles, Inmarsat
- Dennis Petropoulos, Braemar Shipping Services plc
Image LSE 2 – left to right:
- Tom Boardley, Lloyd’s Register
- Jeremy Penn, Baltic Exchange
- Admiral Sir George Zambellas KCB DSC
- Stephen Hammond MP
- Frank Coles, Inmarsat
- Dennis Petropoulos, Braemar Shipping Services plc
From: Port of London Authority
10 September 2013
Images from Stephen Hammond’s Visit to the Port of London Authority yesterday:
PLA 1 – PLA Duty Port Controller, Dudley Curtis, explaining the Port Control Displays to the Shipping Minister, Stephen Hammond
PLA 2 – A somewhat soggy walk to the PLA’s hydrographic launch, Verifier, for the river trip to see investment and development on the river
PLA 3 – Stephen Hammond’s Thames river trip was on-board PLA hydrographic survey vessel, Verifier
From: Wales Office
10 September 2013
Welsh Secretary: “Shipping is an engine for growth in Wales”
Secretary of State for Wales , David Jones, will host an event for the Welsh maritime sector as part of London International Shipping Week on Wednesday 11 September 2013.
The event aims to bring together representatives from the maritime industry in Wales, government Ministers and other industry experts to discuss how best to grow the industry.
Maritime services in Wales account for nearly 2% of Gross Value Added (GVA) annually, with Welsh ports moving around 60 million tonnes of cargo. This is equivalent to just under 13% of the UK’s total throughput.
Speaking ahead of the event, Secretary of State for Wales , David Jones said:
There is no shortage of ambition amongst those in the maritime industry in Wales. I know from my visits to ports across Wales, most recently to Holyhead, that the shipping industry is a key engine for growth in Wales.
I wanted to take the opportunity during London International Shipping Week to showcase what Wales has to offer. Welsh Ports service the four main markets, of ro-ro, passenger traffic, oil and energy sector traffic and general cargo.
This is an exciting time for the sector and I hope by showcasing Welsh ports to the audiences of London International Shipping Week, we can help create further opportunities for growth.
Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said:
This is an industry with a natural home in the UK and London is the centre of the world for the professional, business and financial services that keep ships sailing.
Our quality flag, attractive tax regime, competitive ports, skilled labour base, expert service sector, and stable regulatory framework put us in a strong position. We want to work with the industry to understand what could make the UK an even more attractive place to do business.
To coincide with London International Shipping Week, the Department for Transport and UK Maritime have also today published a booklet, Open for Maritime Business showcasing the depth of expertise and history offered by the UK across a full spectrum of maritime services and Strategic Partnership Plans for ports and shipping.
These identify key priorities for maintaining a vibrant, quality and sustainable shipping industry and a thriving UK ports industry. By working in partnership, government, industry and other stakeholders can together ensure that that the maritime sector in the UK continues to grow.
For further information on the Strategic Ports Partnership, please visit https://www.gov.uk/government/
From: Department for Transport
10 September 2013
Future of low-sulphur shipping fuel under the spotlight
Governments and industry representatives met in London today to discuss the future availability of low-sulphur fuel which will drive down pollution from shipping.
In 2008 the UN’s International Maritime Organization (IMO) agreed measures to limit polluting sulphur emissions from shipping.
The sulphur limit for fuel used in seas other than specially designated Emission Control Areas, which have stricter limits, is currently 3.50%, and will be reduced to 0.50% from 1 January 2020 – subject to a review of the availability of 0.50% sulphur fuel.
As part of London International Shipping Week, Secretary-General of the IMO, Koji Sekimizu, and Shipping Minister Stephen Hammond hosted an event today for invited representatives of maritime nations and international industry associations at which the hosts stressed the importance of dispelling the uncertainty which surrounds the start date for the review and highlighted a way forward.
Mr Sekimizu said: “IMO has set a goal for sulphur regulations in 2008 and the current global target is set for 2020. It is important for IMO to act now to have a clear picture on the availability of the required quantity of the low-sulphur fuel as soon as possible.
Annex VI stipulates that the review must be completed by 2018, but there is nothing to say that it cannot be completed earlier. Indeed, there is a strong argument that early completion of the review of the availability of low sulphur fuel will give more time for all concerned, including the refinery industry, to take the necessary action and react in time to meet the requirements if such a need is identified.”
Mr Hammond said that the review should start at the earliest realistic date consistent with adequate information being practically available, which the UK considers to be January 2015:
Mr Hammond said: “Reaching agreement on the new sulphur limits in 2008 was a notable achievement, and as a consequence enhanced the reputation of the IMO. Now it is vital to agree the timing of this review.
Uncertainty around dates is likely to delay crucial investment decisions and industry needs a clear steer. All sectors of the shipping and petro-chemical industry would be better able to plan, control costs and manage the transition once we have a date for the review.”
Mr Hammond said that the UK plans to submit a paper on the subject for the consideration of the next session of the IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee next spring.
Pollutant emissions from ships are regulated by Annex VI to the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (commonly known as the MARPOL Convention). In October 2008, the IMO formally adopted the revised Annex VI, which imposes phased stringent requirements for sulphur emissions from ships:
• in Emission Control Areas (ECAs), with the most stringent requirements coming into effect on 1 January 2015; and
• in waters which are not ECAs, with the most stringent requirements coming into effect in 2020 unless a review of the availability of 0.50% sulphur fuel (which must be completed by 2018) indicates that sufficient fuel will not be available, in which case the requirement may be deferred to 2025.
The IMO has designated three ECAs which are currently in effect: the Baltic Sea ECA (sulphur oxides only); the North Sea ECA (sulphur oxides only), which includes the English Channel; and the North American ECA (sulphur oxides, nitrogen oxides and particulate matter). The IMO has also designated the United States Caribbean Sea ECA (sulphur oxides, nitrogen oxides and particulate matter), which will take effect on 1 January 2014.
MARPOL requires the review of the availability of 0.50% sulphur fuel to have been completed by 2018. The start date of the review has been considered by an IMO Correspondence Group. The Correspondence Group reported to the 62nd Session of the IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee in 2011 that the start date should be between 2015 and 2017 for the review. The Correspondence Group’s report did not favour a start date before 2015. The Committee has yet to take a decision on the appropriate date for the start of the review.
From: UK Chamber of Shipping
10 September 2013
Statement on the above from David Balston, Director of Safety and Environment at the UK Chamber of Shipping
The UK Chamber welcomes the proposal to bring forward the start date of the IMO’s fuel availability study.
“The sooner it can start the sooner the shipping and refining industries will have the certainty required to plan investment for the future.
“Given the time required for refiners to build new plant to meet the expected demand then ideally the study should have started already, but 2015 is preferable to 2017.
“The UK Chamber is greatly concerned about the impact for shipping operating in the Emission Control Areas (ECAs), for which targets to reduce sulphur are set for 2015.
“We fully support the move to reduce sulphur emissions from ships. But the speed at which shipping operators would be required to meet reduction targets, at huge cost, without sufficient technology in place to support the changes, along with the failure to date for these targets to take account of the overall need to reduce carbon emissions has been causing ship operators great concern for some time.
“Latest research shows that attempts to reach the 2015 target could cause adverse environmental effects with a modal shift from sea to road, result in a loss of 2, 000 maritime services jobs and place many more industrial jobs under threat.”
From: Inmarsat
10 September
London International Shipping Week sets sail at stock exchange/Ship Efficiency – the Event
Inmarsat Maritime President Frank Coles joined Transport Minister Stephen Hammond and other London International Shipping Week (LISW) VIPs to open trading on the London Stock Exchange today.
Inmarsat is Diamond sponsor of the inaugural LISW, which aims to highlight the UK capital’s vital role in the positive development of global shipping.
As part of this week’s programme, Ship Efficiency: The Event – a conference and exhibition organised by maritime events company Fathom in association with Inmarsat – will look at ways to improve operational and vessel efficiency.
LISW is organised by Shipping Innovation, in association with Maritime UK partners The Baltic Exchange, Maritime London and the UK Chamber of Shipping, and with TheCityUK, the independent promotional body for UK financial and professional services.
All this week it will offer high-level networking opportunities for leaders across all sectors of the international shipping industry.
Ship Efficiency: The Event is taking place today and tomorrow, with representation from Maersk Maritime Technology, Wärtsilä, the Baltic and International Maritime Council and the American Bureau of Shipping.
Inmarsat will chair a free-to-attend seminar on the second day of the event entitled “Driving profit through integrated operations”.
The seminar will include speakers from Eniram, AWT, UK HO and Pole Star and is designed as an open forum to discuss practical solutions and strategies for improving operational and vessel efficiency and, overall, the bottom line profit.
Frank Coles will give keynote addresses at the opening session of Ship Efficiency: The Event and at the LISW gala dinner at Grosvenor House on 12 September.
