19 December 2023 – SSI members and guests gathered in Singapore on 29-30 November for an in-person member meeting hosted by Wilhelmsen Ship Management. For two days, members had the opportunity to learn about each other’s work, catch up on SSI projects, and engage in interactive discussions to set the agenda for SSI in 2024. We also welcomed our newest member, Jotun, to the group.
This member meeting also marked a shift for SSI’s leadership, as we said goodbye to outgoing Executive Director Andrew Stephens, who has led SSI since 2018, and welcomed incoming CEO Steven Jones.
Anchorage visit
Day 1 began with a visit to the Wilhelmsen Ship Service warehouse and an anchorage visit, giving everyone an up-close look at the vessels and prompting reflections on the concrete impact that sustainability initiatives can have – from improving seafarer wellbeing onboard to ensuring that the next generation of vessels incorporates circularity principles.
Reflections on 2023
Members were updated on the work undertaken in 2023 and progress on all the working groups, and discussed continued work into 2024 and how to maximise SSI’s impact.
Highlights:
- The Green Steel and Shipping report, published in June this year and followed by a launch event at London International Shipping Week. Feedback on the report has been positive, and there’s appetite to continue exploring the opportunities and challenges of using zero emission materials for shipbuilding.
- The SEAFAIRER roundtable convened seafarers, shipowners, managers and NGOs to spotlight various human rights and welfare issues and explore how the Delivering on seafarers’ rights Code of Conduct and self-assessment questionnaire (SAQ) have facilitated progress. The roundtable will feed into work, in collaboration with SSI members IHRB and RightShip, to update the SAQ.
- The State of Sustainable Shipping (SoSS) programme has strengthened SSI’s relationship with the Royal College of Arts (RCA) and World Maritime University (WMU). With funding secured, the SoSS programme is gearing up for rapid progress. In 2024, horizon-scanning activities, akin to those showcased in the 2023 in-person member meetings, will be implemented to track emerging issues and guide rolling updates to the Roadmap to a sustainable shipping industry.
- Partnering for impact has scaled up significantly in 2023, bringing in external expertise and working together to advance the sustainability agenda for the shipping sector. Leading up to COP28, SSI was involved in three projects:
- Tides of Change: A Framework for Developing Just and Inclusive Green Shipping Corridors – A report outlining the need for green shipping corridors to consider just and equitable transition principles, co-written by the Mærsk McKinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping (of which SSI is a knowledge partner), SSI, and the UN Global Compact Ocean Stewardship Coalition.
- Green steel in shipping: How international shipping can lower emissions through progressive adoption of green steel – A short piece of research outlining expected steel demand from shipbuilding up to 2050 and the opportunity for that demand to shift from traditional to zero emission steel, supporting both shipping and steel sector decarbonisation. The research was conducted in partnership with the Lloyd’s Register Maritime Decarbonisation Hub and UMAS.
- Navigating the Future: Bridging Shipping, Biodiversity, and Decarbonisation – A report exploring the interconnectedness of shipping and marine biodiversity, and the opportunities for co-benefits to be derived from decarbonisation and halting biodiversity loss. The report was authored by NGO Equal Routes, with SSI, the High Level Climate Champions, and the UN Foundation as consultative partners.
Industry and member insights
SSI member meetings also provide an opportunity to discuss topics with external experts, as well as for members to present new initiatives and exciting sustainability work that they’re undertaking.
Increasing gender diversity onboard
We hosted a panel on increasing gender diversity onboard, moderated by Forum for the Future’s Cynthia Morel, with participation from ISWAN’s Georgia Allen, Swire Shipping’s Lydia Pavlova, and WISTA Singapore’s Maike Brinckman.
Panellists highlighted research on gender diversity onboard:
- 2021 IMO and WISTA International – Women in Maritime, Survey 2021
- The seafarers’ charity and Cardiff University – Port-based welfare needs of women seafarers
- Global Maritime Forum and All Aboard Alliance – 15 key pain points for women at sea
- European Transport Workers’ Federation and European Community Shipowners’ Association – Enhancing participating of women in European shipping
Discussions centred around the need for diversity to be considered broadly, with the ultimate goal being to provide a safe, inclusive environment onboard for everyone. In addition to this, the importance of challenging conscious and sub-conscious biases and attitudes was highlighted.
Member Insights
This year’s insights highlighted the diversity of SSI’s membership across the value chain, as we heard presentations on alternative fuels, energy efficiency on board, ship repair, and ship recycling.
Lloyd’s Register kickstarted the focus on decarbonisation by sharing their future of maritime fuels report, presenting a wide range of fuel mix projections to inform shipping stakeholders of potential future scenarios, as well as their Zero Carbon Fuel Monitor. Beyond fuels, decarbonising shipping also relies on increasing efficiency throughout the vessel lifecycle. Klaveness Combination Carriers (who will host the next in-person member meeting in Oslo next March) shared their approach to energy efficiency technologies, from the no-lose to the more complex, and their efforts to build efficiency measures into existing as well as future vessels. Swire Shipping also shared their work on designing, building, and operating an energy-efficient vessel, discussing technical measures such as CDF modelling, Energy Saving Devices (ESDs) and a range of performance improvements that can be conducted in dock.
Priya Blue and IMC focused on ship repair and ship recycling, underscoring the significance of a systemic approach to sustainability. Their discussions went beyond environmental initiatives, delving into the vital importance of workers’ rights within shipyards.
2024
It won’t be long until the next member meeting, which will take place in March, hosted by Klaveness Combination Carriers. In the meantime, SSI’s work continues under the leadership of new CEO Steven Jones. 2024 will see a continued focus on the topics discussed here, and we look forward to a year filled with positive impact toward a sustainable shipping industry.