25 October 2022 – SSI members, trustees and guests gathered in Singapore on 12-13 October 2022 for two days of engaging panel debates and workshops. Kindly hosted by Swire Shipping at the NTUC Business Centre, the meeting covered topics from marine green corridors to seafarers’ rights to biodiversity and more.
We were joined by Her Excellency Kara Owen, British High Commissioner to Singapore, who provided insights on how the UK and Singapore can collaborate to enable a green economy and sustainable transport system. The Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation shared some of its ongoing work and took part in a panel discussion, alongside SSI members Lloyd’s Register, Maersk, Oldendorff Carriers and Swire Shipping, around the emergence of green corridors and the role these projects and first movers can play in bringing the industry on a path to decarbonise sustainably.
Finally, the Global Maritime Forum and The Mission to Seafarers joined the meeting for a session on seafarers’ rights, alongside SSI member Forum for the Future, following on from the previous day’s SEAFAIRER roundtable. The session reflected on the importance of a whole value chain approach to respecting seafarers, their autonomy and values as the industry faces technological and generational changes.
The meeting also saw work continue on SSI’s updated strategy implementation following the workshop that took place at the London member meeting in March. Members identified opportunities for further work in the Roadmap to a sustainable shipping industry, discussed progress across the active working groups, provided feedback on overcoming challenges, and set priorities and expectations for 2023.
Biodiversity in focus
SSI trustee Oriana Brine led an engaging session for members on Day 2 of the meeting, with the intention of bringing to life a Roadmap vision area that SSI is not currently focused on – in this case, vision area 1, Oceans.
Members were introduced to the top five pressures on biodiversity and how these relate to the ocean: the climate crisis; changes in land and sea use; direct exploitation of natural resources; pollution; and invasive alien species. Members then reflected on how these pressures are prioritised within their organisations and within the shipping sector more broadly, and identified emerging areas where shipping and biodiversity intersect.
Looking ahead
2023 will see SSI’s work continue across three current working groups: Closing the loop on the ship lifecycle; Delivering on seafarers’ rights; and Sustainability criteria for marine fuels. At the same time, we will continue working with the Roadmap to a sustainable shipping industry and exploring ways to track industry progress against the six vision areas: Oceans, Communities, People, Transparency, Finance, and Energy.
As the strategy implementation continues, you will begin to see some changes in SSI, from how we work with members and partners, to how we communicate externally, to the composition of the SSI Secretariat as we grow the team. To stay up to date with what SSI is up to, sign up to receive updates.
