Page 36: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (May 2018)

A Royal Welcome IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim accompanied Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II during her visit to IMO. Inset: Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, comes to Albert Em- bankment to open of? cially the building in 1982.

When Kitack Lim took the top spot at impacting everything from ship design the conversion to low sulfur fuel, namely

Digitalization &

IMO as Secretary-General in 2016, he to engine and fuel choice, as well as the concerns surrounding the availability

Autonomous Shipping suffered no delusion regarding the job operational procedure. “Climate change of suf? cient fuel supply, Lim said there “It has been said that the next 10 or 20 ahead. The collective global maritime has a huge impact on the ship itself, the will be no delay in enacting the new rule. years will see as much change in ship- industry was entering a transcendent ship management and the shipping in- “The entry into force of the 0.50% sul- ping as we have experienced in the past period, still emerging from the global dustry as a whole.” fur in fuel oil limit cannot and will not 100 years,” said Lim, succinctly sum- economic trauma of 2008 and diving In Lim’s ? rst 27 months at the helm of be delayed,” he said. “Legally, there is marizing the speed of technology across headlong into an era of disruption, an the world’s leading rule maker for mari- no mechanism to amend the date and the maritime sector. “The integration of era highlighted with social and ? nancial time, climate change issues have been for any revised date to enter into force new and advancing technologies in the pressures on maritime to reduce emis- aggressively discussed and moved for- before January 1, 2020. However, IMO regulatory framework is a key strategic sions, to digitalize operations to keep ward unlike any other period in maritime Member States will work in the relevant direction for IMO,” Lim said, “but we pace with a whirlwind of tech and logis- history. Most recently, in mid-April, the IMO technical bodies to address any is- need to balance the bene? ts derived from tic challenges, all the while maintaining initial strategy on the reduction of green- sues that might arise with regards to en- new and advancing technologies against safe and secure operations for the crews house gas (GHG) emissions from ships suring consistent implementation.” safety and security concerns, the impact and the environment. In prioritizing his was adopted as a key item on the agenda Cutting to the heart of the matter, fuel on the environment and on international responsibilities, Lim is today laser fo- of the IMO’s Marine Environment Pro- availability, Lim said “a comprehensive trade facilitation, the potential costs to cused on IMO’s top three challenges: tection Committee (MEPC 72) (see re- study on availability of fuel oil was car- the industry, and their impact on person-

Climate change, Digitalization in the lated story on page 40). ried out by experts and overseen by a nel, both on board and ashore.” shipping industry (including autono- While the new accord is historic, on steering committee and it concluded

The driver in the new maritime econ- mous ships), and Seafarer issues. the more immediate horizon shipping there will be enough compliant fuel oil,” omy is data and digitalization; Arti? cial companies must devise a strategy to deal and the study was taken into account intelligence, automation, e-navigation

Global Climate Change with the strict new fuel rules set to en- when IMO member states made the deci- and autonomous shipping are all being “Climate change is the biggest issue ter force in 2020. While there has been sion to go with the 2020 date for imple- driven by digitization, which in tandem facing the maritime industry,” Lim said, much debate regarding the rapidity of mentation.

are inextricably linked to environmental 36 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News • MAY 2018

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