Kitack Lim - Gibraltar Port Authority · under MARPOL Annex VI, the market will decide how to...
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May 2016
INTERVIEW by Gibraltar Shipping
Kitack Lim
K itack Lim was elected Secretary-General of the International
Maritime Organization (IMO) by the 114th session of the IMO
Council in June 2015 for a four-year period beginning 1 January
2016. The election was endorsed by the IMO's Assembly at its 29th
session in November 2015. Mr. Kitack Lim (Republic of Korea) is the eighth
elected Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization.
What are the IMO's main objectives for 2016?
The main objectives this year include the smooth implementation of the manda-
tory IMO Member State Audit Scheme; further efforts to address greenhouse gas
emissions from international shipping; the next steps in the application of goal-
based standards for construction of oil tankers and bulk carriers; continued work
on passenger ship safety and the implementation of the Ballast Water Manage-
ment Convention.
Other matters on the regulatory side include the review of the Global Maritime
Distress and Safety System, pushing ahead with the e-navigation strategy and
managing cyber security threats.
Alongside these, a key objective for this year and beyond is the continued
implementation of the hugely important Technical Cooperation Programme
which supports capacity building, particularly in Small Island Developing States
and Least Developed Countries. This can be seen in the context of a long-term
strategy to create conditions for increased employment, prosperity and stability
through enhancing the maritime sector and a sustainable 'blue economy' in
developing countries.
It is extremely important that we promote the transfer and uptake of maritime
experience and expertise so that all Member States can participate effectively in
maritime activities. Feedback from the mandatory audits will also contribute to
this process.
For me personally, the effective implementation of international conventions and
regulations is a key priority. I have talked about a "voyage together", in which my
vision is one of strengthened partnerships – between developing and developed
countries, between Governments and industry, between IMO Member States and
regions.
Another personal objective is to strengthen communication between the mari-
time industry and the general public and I see IMO acting as a bridge between all
these stakeholders. I am keen to raise our visibility not just among those who
already know us, but also among those who do not. I want to raise awareness
among officials, ministers and decision-makers outside of our regular communi-
ty, in the interests of joined-up thinking, joined-up planning and collaboration.
How important are new technologies in improving vessel efficiency?
New technologies and innovation are very important tools and can significantly
enhance ships' energy efficiency.
IMO has set non-prescriptive regulations for the mandatory Energy Efficiency
Design Index (EEDI) for new ships, so that ship designers are free to use imagina-
tion, blue-sky thinking and innovative technology to meet the requirements and
also achieve the most cost-efficient solutions.
We are also working proactively to encourage technology-transfer in the mari-
time sector and the focus is on cooperation and collaboration. We want to
cement not just north-south technology cooperation, but south-south and south
-north technology and information flow as well.
Two major IMO projects are supporting the increased uptake and implementa-
tion of energy-efficiency measures for shipping.
The first is the GloMEEP project, formally designated "Transforming the Global
Maritime Transport Industry towards a Low Carbon Future through Improved
Energy Efficiency". IMO is executing this Global Environment Facility (GEF)-
funded GloMEEP project in partnership with the United Nations Development
Programme (UNDP), following the signing of an agreement between IMO, the
GEF and UNDP to allocate US$2.0 million to this two-year partnership project. A
number of national workshops involving lead pilot countries have already been
held under the project.
The second exciting project is the European Union-funded IMO project to
establish a global network of Maritime Technology Cooperation Centres (MTCCs)
in developing countries. The aim is to help beneficiary countries limit and reduce
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from their shipping sectors through technical
assistance and capacity building. It will encourage the uptake of innovative
energy-efficiency technologies among a large number of users through the
widespread dissemination of technical information and know-how and thereby
heighten the impact of technology transfer. One of the goals will be to promote
the uptake of low-carbon technologies and operations in the maritime sector
through the implementation of pilot projects.
Both these projects will provide opportunities to evaluate existing as well as new
and emerging technologies. So we might be looking at advanced hull coatings to
prevent fouling, novel propulsion and powering systems, "smart ships" incorpo-
rating advanced communications and sensor technology into their operation,
and so on.
It is an exciting time for shipping, as we look towards building capacity to
implement technical and operational measures in developing countries, where
shipping is increasingly concentrated. We should strive towards promoting a low
-carbon maritime sector, to minimize the adverse impacts of shipping emissions
on climate change, ocean acidification and local air quality.
What measures are issued by the IMO to counter piracy?
IMO has responded to maritime security threats, encompassing terrorism as well
as criminal and illicit activity such as piracy and armed robbery against ships, in
two ways: by adopting and approving regulations and guidance and through
capacity building.
Chapter XI-2 of the SOLAS Convention makes mandatory the International Ship
and Port Facility Security Code (ISPS Code) and forms the cornerstone of regula-
tory measures to address maritime security. Ships and port facilities both have to
have in place approved security plans which address identified threats.
IMO has been addressing piracy (which is an illegal act committed against a ship
on the high seas, under its definition in the United Nations Convention on the
Law of the Sea) for several decades. Regional capacity-building has helped
address and suppress piracy and armed robbery against ships in the Straits of
Malacca and Singapore and more recently off the coast of Somalia, in the Gulf of
Aden and in the wider Indian Ocean. Thanks to regional capacity-building efforts
by IMO to counter piracy - including the Djibouti Code of Conduct for the
western Indian Ocean, efforts by coastal States, navies and the shipping industry
through implementing "best management practices" - we have seen a decline in
acts of piracy off Somalia. No successful hijack was recorded there in 2015.
However, the alarming increase in acts of murder, kidnapping, hostage-taking
and robbery by pirates in the Gulf of Guinea has now become a serious concern,
and I welcomed the Presidential Statement issued by the UN Security Council at
the beginning of May addressing this subject. IMO is currently implementing a
strategy for enhancing maritime security in west and central Africa, in line with
the region's maritime security agreements.
The focus is on providing assistance to IMO Member States seeking to develop
their own national or regional measures to address the threat of piracy, armed
robbery against ships and other illicit maritime activities. IMO is working with
States in the region and regional organizations to help develop the maritime
sector and the blue economy, underpinned by good maritime security. In
addition to countering piracy and armed robbery against ships, States in the
region are being encouraged and assisted to develop holistic maritime security
strategies that address a range of issues, including search and rescue, marine
environment protection, energy-supply security, maritime terrorism, unsafe
mixed migration by sea as well as other illicit activities, such as trafficking drugs,
weapons and people by sea and illegal fishing.
A comprehensive range of guidance material for shipmasters and Governments
to prevent and suppress piracy and armed robbery at sea, investigate offences,
and address armed security personnel on board ships has been disseminated by
IMO as well as guidance to shipping to address a range of other maritime crimes
including drug smuggling, stowaways and fraud ("phantom ships").
What are the current and future challenges for international shipping?
Of course I cannot speak for the shipping industry and it will certainly have its
own view on its current and future challenges, but I do believe that shipping is
always going to be indispensable to world trade, as we have been highlighting in
our World Maritime Day theme for this year - "Shipping: indispensable to the
world".
Market conditions dictate the global economy but the historical trajectory of
shipping suggests that trade by ship will continue to rise, in the long term.
According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
(UNCTAD), around 80 per cent of global trade by volume and over 70 per cent of
global trade by value are carried by sea and are handled by ports worldwide.
These shares are even higher in the case of most developing countries. Without
shipping the import and export of goods on the scale necessary to sustain the
modern world would not be possible.
From IMO's perspective, I think the challenges for international shipping are to
ensure that it remains sustainable for the future, to ensure ships are as safe as
possible and with minimal impact on the environment, particularly when it comes
to air pollution and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Current challenges arising from the regulatory side will include implementing
amendments to regulatory instruments that have been adopted to improve the
safety of shipping, such as the SOLAS requirements for the verified gross mass of
containers entering into force on 1 July 2016.
On the environmental side, the Ballast Water Management Convention will
require investment and implementation from the shipping industry, while
shipping will need to comply with stricter limits on sulphur emissions globally in
the coming years.
But I know from my conversations with the shipping industry representatives who
attend IMO meetings as observer delegations that the international shipping
industry fully supports the work of IMO and, over the years, the various shipping
industry bodies have contributed hugely to enhancing the regulatory regime,
providing expert input on everything from ship design, construction, equipment,
manning, operation and the eventual end-of-life disposal of ships.
We cannot predict the future but I feel certain that international shipping will be
ready to face any forthcoming challenges, alongside the IMO Membership.
What is the IMO's view on LNG being the "energy of the future"?
As an organization, IMO has not adopted a view on LNG specifically but has
responded to changes in the industry by ensuring the development of appropri-
ate global standards for new fuels or for alternative methods in order to meet
compliance.
As environmental regulations strengthen, such as the air pollution regulations
under MARPOL Annex VI, the market will decide how to respond. It will be up to
ship operators to decide on which fuel to use or whether to use alternative,
equivalent methods (such as scrubbers), so long as these are approved by the
flag State as meeting the air pollutant requirements.
At the moment, the number of LNG-fuelled ships is relatively small. An IMO-
commissioned study identified some 40 LNG-fuelled merchant ships in operation
with a further 40 under construction or undertaking conversion.
The same study notes that the use of LNG is considered to have significant
environmental advantages. An LNG-fuelled ship reduces the emissions of NOx by
85% to 90% (using a gas-only engine), and SOx and particles by close to 100%
compared to conventional fuel oil. In addition, LNG-fuelled ships may result in a
net reduction of GHG emissions.
Recognizing the increasing number of gas-fuelled ships, IMO has developed and
adopted the International Code of Safety for Ships using Gases or other Low-
flashpoint Fuels (IGF Code), which contains mandatory provisions for the ar-
rangement, installation, control and monitoring of machinery, equipment and
systems using low-flashpoint fuels, focusing initially on LNG. It becomes manda-
tory under amendments to the SOLAS Convention which will enter into force on
1 January 2017.
IMO has also adopted amendments to the International Convention on Stand-
ards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW), and STCW
Code, to include new mandatory minimum requirements for the training and
qualifications of masters, officers, ratings and other personnel on ships subject to
the IGF Code. These amendments will enter into force on 1 January 2017.
Please describe the importance of training and development in the shipping
sector:
Effective standards of training are the bedrock of a safe and secure shipping
industry and it is clear that without a quality labour force, motivated, trained and
skilled to the appropriate international standards, shipping cannot thrive.
Moreover, personnel within the industry must have sufficient, quality training if
they are to be able to implement the many advances that have been made, in
terms of safety and environmental impact.
Shipping is highly technical, demanding considerable skill, knowledge and
expertise from those who work in it and not everything can be learned on the
job. So it is vital that shipping has a global network of specialist education and
training establishments to ensure a continuing stream of high-calibre recruits.
And this is not just about seafarers. Maritime education needs broad coverage.
Naval architecture, marine engineering, maritime law and many other fields all
require specialist training.
IMO's long and wide-ranging involvement in the human element of shipping
includes the adoption of the 1978 International Convention on Standards of
Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers, which has set the interna-
tional benchmark for seafarer training and education. Compliance with its
standards is essential for serving on board ships.
Significant amendments to the Convention were adopted in 2010 and I would
urge all Parties to ensure
effective implementation
before the end of the
transition period on 1
Paul Gonzalez-Morgan, Editor
Note: The Editor is not responsible for the opinions expressed by Interviewees. Interviews are pre-
approved by the Interviewee before public release.
“ The effective implementation
of international conventions and
regulations is a key priority ”