Page 10: of Offshore Engineer Magazine (Nov/Dec 2013)

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Opinion

ThoughtStream

Andreas Chrysostomou

Shipping and Environment ver many decades, shipping has actu- operability, effciency and, above all, rules and regulations requires a con- i

O ally become safer and cleaner, not to retain shipping as the most economical certed effort by all involved: owners, mention more cost-effective. International transport mode for commodities and operators and regulators.

rules and regulations in relation to the raw materials. While striving for sus- Regulators need to have clear targets safety of life at sea or safety in general tainability and long term viability, it is for environmental legislation and aim at have been traditionally developed and important to see a number of incentives creating a consolidated approach while implemented with great success, not only given to the industry so that technology tackling the problem.

improving the safety of the ship The industry needs to be given incen- but also minimizing the loss of tives to achieve the environmental life at sea. Oil spills have been aspirations of the regulators and, at the reduced, showing also that the same time, to use synergies that will focus placed in the 1990s on this lead to cost effectiveness and effciency type of problem was fruitful. improvements.

Realities such as climate change will

The marine environment is cur- strain the industry more in the future and rently subject to a variety of threats, therefore proactive planning and action by ranging from the loss or degrada- the industry is highly recommended. tion of biodiversity and changes in its uptake becomes a norm and effcient and structure, loss of habitats, dangerous cost-effective operations are no longer substances, nutrients and climate change temporary actions but again the norm. Andreas Chrysostomou has been and thus the civil society demands ships It is important to stress here that non- Senior Marine Surveyor and Head of the to be environmentally friendly and compliance is not an option. Maritime Policy, Multilateral Affairs and requires the industry to develop and The most challenging and highly polit- Standards Division in the Department implement measures that minimize the ically fused environmental issue today of Merchant Shipping, Government of pressure exerted from shipping ons the for shipping is greenhouse gas emis- the Republic of Cyprus since 2004 and environment. sions. The global regulator for shipping, Chairman of the Marine Environment

Unfortunately, while there are mea- International Maritime Organization Protection Committee (MEPC) of the sures to control and reduce pressures (IMO), has addressed the problem for the International Maritime Organization and threats on the marine environment, new generation of ships by establishing a (IMO) since 2003. He is currently the these have been developed in a sector by mandatory construction standard aiming 111th President of IMarEST, the Institute sector approach resulting in a patchwork to more effcient ships in the future. This of Marine Engineering, Science & of policies, legislation, programmes and is not the end of the story, I am afraid, Technology, which has more than 15,000 action plans at national, regional and the climate change issue is not some- members in 100+ countries and 50 active international levels. thing that needs to be addressed at a later branches around the world.

This tendency can often create a bur- stage. Many argue that shipping has to He received a Bachelor of Engineering den without beneft. It also creates huge act immediately and will take action by with Honors in Naval Architecture and uncertainty, and uncertainty is the enemy themselves if IMO does not address the Shipbuilding and a Masters in Business of business. Sustainability can only be existing feet as soon as possible. Administration from the University of

It is, therefore, prudent for the indus- achieved if there is a coordinated and Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and has worked try to initiate proactive action so that the targeted effort to address environmental with UN agencies and other forums eventual regulatory regime reaches the concerns. including UNCTAD, ILPO, COPASS- industry in a soft way and in a manner

Therefore, regulators must clearly SARSAT, the International Oil Pollution that is expected by the industry, so that defne their goals so that the industry can Fund, and the International Mobile the industry benefts from it. This could be estimate, well ahead, the cost in order Satellite Organisation. voluntary application of operational mea- to strategically plan its recovery, so that Mr. Chrysostomou will present the sures over and above of those required.

proftability is sustained. IMarEST President’s Day Lecture on

The time is high to achieve environ- Achieving holistic and harmonized 12 Nov 2013 at Trinity House, Tower Hill, mental protection without the loss of international maritime environmental London.

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