(l to r) Nikeel Idnani, Konstantinos Papalexopoulos, Andrea Di Bella & Stefanos Chatzinikolaou
RINA sponsored an interactive knowledge sharing session on Ship Air Emissions – Main Challenges, Policies and Industry Developments at an Institute of Marine Engineering, Science & Technology (IMarEST) UAE Branch technical meeting.
Nikeel Idnani, Honorary Secretary IMarEST UAE branch, in the moderator’s introduction, revealed that the IMO has agreed to cut shipping’s total GHG emissions by 50% by 2050. Adhering to this reduction target will compel ship owners to adopt low-carbon technologies which could potentially burden profitability. With a downward pressure on freight rates leading to ships currently limiting spending to essential repairs and maintenance, he invited the active participation of the audience in the discussion on how best ship owners may implement strategies commensurate with technical air pollution reduction measures from maritime transportation.
Andrea Di Bella, RINA Middle East & Africa Area Marine Director after welcoming the guests underlined the role of classification societies in changing environmental legislations, evolution of technologies and rising customer expectations, before handing over to the keynote speaker- Stefanos Chatzinikolaou, Senior Manager Marine Research & Innovation – RINA Hellas.
Dr. Chatzinikolaou, gave detailed information on Monitoring and Reporting of fuel consumption and CO2 emissions from international ship transport. As part of the MARPOL Convention, in October 2016, the Maritime Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) of the International Maritime Organization had adopted the global Data Collection System, a blueprint for future action. The objective is to collect and analyze data on ship’s energy efficiency to make valuable decisions on what further measures, if any, are required. The regulation will apply to ships above 5000 gt on international voyages. RINA will act as RO in the verification of the data to be reported starting from the calendar year 2019.
As the linchpin of global supply chains, there are over 50,000 merchant ships responsible for the carriage of around 90% of world trade. Stefanos was pulling no punches when he divulged that the shipping industry presently accounts for under 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions, but also red-flagged this figure could double or even triple by 2050, if left unchecked. Consequently, environmental regulations are imposing stricter emission limits. Nonetheless, the marine industry must face this challenge without forgetting cost sustainability. Ship owners are evaluating pros and cons of adopting alternative fuels and new related technologies such as hybrid or full electric solutions for both ship propulsion and power generation. He highlighted that a customized design which incorporates a ship specific operating profile, can provide reductions in cost for fuel and maintenance as well as in ship’s air emissions, reliability and improvement of system responsiveness.
In conclusion, Nikeel assured the audience that the IMarEST remained resolute in fulfilling their global ironclad commitment to the sharing of knowledge and dissemination of appropriate information to the broad spectrum of marine professionals at local and international levels. For this to fructify, the IMarEST leveraged on the strong partnerships with companies at the forefront of maritime technology and innovation. While expressing his gratitude to RINA for sponsoring the meeting, he appreciated the very contemporary topic of Ship Air Emissions which delivered tremendous value for all 138 delegates in the room comprising varied stakeholders of the regional maritime industry from ABS, Abu Dhabi Ports, ADNOC Logistics & Services, Akron Trade & Transport, Akzo Nobel UAE Paints, Al Fattan Ship Industry, Al Futtaim group, Alfa Laval Middle East, Ali & Sons Marine Engineering Factory, Al-Iraqia Shipping Services, Arka Global Marine Services, Avant Consulting & Associates, Bahri Ship Management, BAM International, BV, Centennial Maritime Ventures, Central Ship Management, Charles Taylor Adjusting, Clarksons Platou, Cleghorn Wilton and Associates, Consilium, Corodex, CS-Offshore, Cyrus Shipping Services, DeServ International, DNV GL, Drydocks World Dubai, EA MARITIME consulting, Elcome, Endress+Hauser, Fluid force machinery, Globenav Maritime, Goltens Co Ltd, Goodluck Shipping, Greenwich Marine, Gulf Energy Maritime, Hapag Lloyd, Harris Pye, Inchcape Shipping Services, Inter Gulf Marine, International Registries Middle East, International Tanker Management, Key Ship Management & Consultants, Khalid Faraj Shipping, Lloyd’s Register, Marshal shipping, MicroStep-MIS, Milaha, Montec Ship Management, MSH Ship Management, Mubarak Marine, Nimble Legal, Noah Ship Management, Noble Denton marine services, Overseas AST Company, Planet Blue Marine Services, Qualitas Inspection Services, Quest Marine, Radio Holland Middle East, Red Sea Marine Management, SAMCO, Saud Shipping, Seamaster Maritime, Seaspeed Marine Management, Silver Star Ship Management, Simatech Shipping, Soghan Marine, Stanford Marine, Swiss Singapore Overseas Ent, Tasneef, Tomini Shipping, Topaz Energy and Marine, Trans Gulf Energy, Transas, UMAR Shipping Services, Unimarine Services, Unique Group, United Arab Shipping Company, Valaf Shipping, Vedam Consultancy, Vektor Maritim, Viking Marine Services, Vortex Offshore, Warm Seas Development & Trading, West Enterprise Shipmanagement, Zanca Consulting and Zara Maritime.
The ‘working’ element of networking continued as guests raised a glass & toasted the enormity of what had been agreed by the IMO with all sincerity. They feasted on a scrumptious dinner at Dubai’s upscale Ramada Jumeirah hotel, hosted by RINA.
