Towards a Sustainable Future in the Shipping Industry

The trail of devastation and casualties left by Hurricane Dorian has cast a sombre mood over the region, as the people of Abaco and Grand Bahama islands continue to pick up the pieces and rebuild their lives in the aftermath of one of the most powerful Atlantic hurricanes of modern times. Described by Bahamian Prime Minister Hubert Minnis as “a historic tragedy”, the images and videos of the extensive damage sustained by the island are truly heart-rending.

On behalf of the CSA, I offer my deepest sympathy to everyone affected by this disaster. The US and British Virgin Islands, as well as Puerto Rico, were largely spared any catastrophic damage, and for that we are collectively grateful. As we have consistently and unhesitatingly done in the past, the CSA will support the hurricane recovery efforts in any way we can. It will take some time to restore normalcy in the worst affected areas, but by working together we can demonstrate to the world that while the gale force winds may have bent our spirits, we are not broken.

At the time of writing, Hurricane Dorian was tracking along the coastline of the southeastern United States and posed a potential threat to Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas as a Category 3 storm. At its peak, Dorian was a Category 5 super storm that registered maximum sustained winds of 185 mph/295 kph and etched its name into the meteorological record books. The recent trend of powerful and destructive hurricane seasons is hard to ignore, and 2019 marks the fourth year in a row the Atlantic basin has witnessed at least one Category 5 hurricane.

The balance of scientific evidence suggests that the increasing intensity and frequency of these extreme weather events is, to a considerable degree, linked to global warming. Greenhouse gas emissions have caused the sea surface temperature of Caribbean waters to rise significantly, creating an ideal setting for storms to intensify. While the shipping industry enjoys the reputation of being the most energy-efficient way to move large volumes of cargo, the prevalent use of heavy fuel oil generates a considerable amount of harmful carbon dioxide emissions as well as air pollutants such as sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and particulate matter. These pollutants pose a great danger to human health, particularly along key shipping routes.

Emissions

According to the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), the global shipping industry is responsible for about three per cent of total global greenhouse gas emissions per year. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) estimates that at the current rate, shipping emissions will increase by 50 to 250 per cent by 2050. In an effort to reduce the shipping industry’s carbon footprint, the IMO is leading a global approach to cut emissions generated by shipping by 50 percent below 2008 levels by 2050. It is also implementing the “IMO 2020” rule, which will mandate that ships reduce the sulphur content in their fuels from 3.5 per cent to 0.5 per cent as of January 2020.

These initiatives and regulations will call for urgent changes that require the use of existing technology to improve the efficiency in construction and operation of ships. This will not be an easy process and there will be issues with compliance and enforcement, as well as economic ramifications. However, the resulting benefits will be undeniable and absolutely worth the effort and investment. The future of the shipping industry must be a sustainable one, where health, environmental and natural disaster risks are aggressively mitigated.

Committed

The CSA has always been committed to reducing the vulnerability of the region to marine pollution. This has been most recently evidenced by our ongoing work with the Caribbean Marine Environment Protection Agency (Caribmepa), which was launched during our Executives’ Conference in Kingston, Jamaica earlier this year. Through the signing of a MOU with Caribmepa, the CSA is affirming its support of the initiatives and agenda to protect the Caribbean Sea. We are also proud of our cooperation with the Maritime Technology Cooperation Centre (MTCC) Caribbean, and we recently participated in its regional workshop in Trinidad on “Capacity Building for Climate Mitigation in the Maritime Shipping Industry”.

Our upcoming 49th Annual General Meeting, Conference and Exhibition scheduled for October 6 to 9 in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic will present us with the opportunity to further the discussion on environmental issues facing the shipping industry.

I am keenly anticipating the segments on “Oceanic Awakening: Sustainability and Stewardship Actions” and "Climate Change: Game Changer for Caribbean Ports". This important forum will also facilitate an interchange of ideas on pertinent topics such as commerce, port management, logistics, digitalization and cyber-security.

Dialogue

For anyone who is interested in solution-oriented dialogue and the future progress of the regional shipping industry, this event should not be missed. I look forward to the fruitful deliberations and warm hospitality that await us in Punta Cana.

Juan Carlos Croston
President
Caribbean Shipping Association