What did Carleen Lyden Walker, co-founder, executive director, North American Marine Environment Protection Association, NAMEPA, IMO maritime ambassador, Abdellah Srour, executive secretary, General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM), Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, Georgios Gratsos, chairman, Hellenic Marine Environment Protection Association (HELMEPA), Vasileios Lampropoulos, chief operating officer, Thenamaris Ships Management, Charis Plakantonaki, chief strategy officer, Star Bulk Carrier and Prof. Andreas Papandreou, co-chair, UN SDSN talk about in this session?
Executive Secretary of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (GFCM), Abdellah Srour, referred to the positive long-term impact on entrepreneurship, employment and growth, and how the blue and the circular economy can help.
“Fish and fishing are an inherent part of the social fabric of our coastal communities,” he said and wondered about the cost of the possible shortage of fish to meet the ever-increasing demand. The FAO is targeting food security for everyone and our work (ie the FAO’s General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean) is to link this goal with the creation of decent jobs, contributing to the wellbeing of coastal communities at a regional level.
“Shipping could help to cool the planet if we change the legislation,” said Mr. George Gratsos, Chairman of the Hellenic Marine Environment Protection Association at the conference. He also mentioned about the harmful effects of using mixed fuels, which are being loaded in Houston at the risk of completely shutting down midway ship engines. Thus, he stressed the need to comply with the regulations.
To a regulations tsunami and new requirements introduced in the shipping industry, referred to the General Manager of Thenamaris Ships Management, Mr. Vasilios Lambropoulos, after 48 years of experience in ship management.
The recent marine environmental regulations, aimed at reducing the footprint of maritime transport, a sector accounting for more than 90% of world trade, stressed Star Bulk Carriers chief strategist Haris Plakantonakis, saying that such regulations already exist scheduled by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and bringing dynamic changes to shipping markets.
In the context of the coordinated debate, Andreas Papandreou highlighted aspects of the issue such as high fuel costs in shipping, gas scrubber development, scrubbers and cost-intensive investments to upgrade ships to comply with new regulations.
