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10-10-2022 18:24 |
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Highlights
from day one of the conference emphasize the importance of collaboration in
achieving shipping’s ambitious sustainability goals Today Monday, October 10 2022, marked the opening of the internationally renowned “Maritime Cyprus 2022” Conference at the Carob Mill Conference Centre in Limassol. Organized in partnership by the Shipping Deputy Ministry of the Republic of Cyprus, the Cyprus Shipping Chamber and the Cyprus Union of Shipowners, this year’s conference theme is Shipping’s Response to the 3 Cs – Crises – Challenges – Competitiveness. More than 900 shipping professionals from around the world, originating from 35 countries, attended the conference, organized biennially in Cyprus. Mrs Liana Charalambous Tanos,
Chair of the Conference and Acting Permanent Secretary of the Shipping Deputy
Ministry, delivered a welcome address to today’s conference participants. The
Chair of the Conference marked the event as an opportunity to exchange views
on critical challenges faced by the international shipping industry. This was followed by the
President of the Republic of Cyprus, Mr Nicos Anastasiades, who delivered the
opening address, who referred to Cyprus’ long-term strategy for shipping:
“SEA Change 2030”. The President emphasized that Cyprus supports the shipping
industry in its transition to a green and digital shipping by providing tax
incentives, encouraging the use of alternative fuels by Cyprus flagged ships
and providing funding to promote innovation. The President also referred to
the efforts of the Shipping Deputy Ministry to promote maritime professions
and gender equality in shipping, as well as the immediate actions taken by
Cyprus to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the practical measures
initiated by Cyprus to help the seafarers affected by the war in Ukraine. The first panel discussion,
themed “Is the Regulatory framework ready to respond to the 3 Cs?”, was
moderated by the Shipping Deputy Minister to the President, Mr Vassilios
Demetriades. The panel included H.E. Mr Kitack Lim, Secretary General,
International Maritime Organization and H.E. Ms Adina Vălean, Commissioner
for Transport, European Commission. H.E. Mr Kitack Lim discussed how
regulating authorities both globally and regionally must work together to
face common challenges. H.E. Ms Adina Vălean agreed, highlighting how
European logistic chains have been resilient and adaptable, despite the
recent energy crisis and war in Ukraine which forced the community to rethink
main transport corridors. The panel referred to the COVID-19 pandemic, the
war in Ukraine and the challenges of decarbonization and digitalization, and
how acting together supports the industry’s safety, security and efficiency.
Further, the discussion focused on whether the emission reduction targets for
2030 and 2050 are sufficiently ambitious or in need of re-evaluation. In
particular, speakers highlighted how regulators can provide various
incentives to encourage the use of low and zero carbon fuels and technology,
to reduce emissions so as to achieve these targets. After the first panel
discussion, a keynote speech on "Navigating the new normal" was
given by Mr Ben Nolan – Managing Director, Maritime, Rail & Energy
Infrastructure, Equity Research, at Stifel Financial Corp – on the outlook
for shipping segment demands. He highlighted how, despite economic
uncertainty, investment in the energy transition has not slowed, accelerating
progress for hydrogen and carbon capture, among other solutions. The second panel discussion,
“Is the International and EU shipping industry ready to respond to the 3
Cs?”, was moderated by Ms Amie Pascoe, Director at BLUE Communications. The
panel included Mr Themis Papadopoulos, Vice Chairman, International Chamber
of Shipping and Mr Philippos Philis, President, European Community Shipowners'
Associations. Mr Philippos Philis focused on the importance of not
underestimating the global decarbonization challenge, while Mr Themis
Papadopoulos emphasized the essential need for investment in renewable energy
generation to meet growing demand. The third panel, “The Role of
Shipowners: Towards a sustainable, safe and resilient industry” was moderated
by Mr George Mouskas, Vice President of the Cyprus Union of Shipowners. The
panel included Mr Andreas Hadjiyiannis, President of the Cyprus Union of
Shipowners, Mr George Procopiou, Chairman of Dynacom Tankers Management Ltd,
and Mr Polys V. Hajioannou, CEO of Safe Bulkers Ltd. And Vice President of
Cyprus Union of Shipowners. Mr Andreas Hadjiyiannis initiated strong debate
with bold statements on how differently shipping operates to other industries
and how the EU ETS does not reflect shipping operations. Mr George Procopiou
highlighted that fuel is the biggest cost to shipowners and global interests
must be aligned to protect the environment, while optimizing energy use
through available technologies and future fuels. In addition, Mr Polys
V. Hajioannou marked the importance of maintaining competitive cargo prices
while meeting regulation. The fourth and final panel
considered the topic “Collaborating Towards Greener Shipping”. Mr Julian
Bray, Editor-in-Chief, TradeWinds, was the moderator for this discussion with
the panel comprising of Mr George Wells, Global Head Assets &
Structuring, Cargill International SA, Mr Nikolaus H. Schües, President
Designate, BIMCO, Mr Claes Berglund, immediate Past President, ECSA, and Mr
Dieter Rohdenburg, Vice President, Cyprus Shipping Chamber and CEO, Intership
Navigation Co. Ltd. Mr Nikolaus H. Schües opened discussion with the belief
that the cost of decarbonization would not be achieved alone.
With consumers driving demand, Mr George Wells emphasized that the cost must
be passed through the entire supply chain. The panel also discussed green
fuel supply. Mr Dieter Rohdenburg underlined that opportunities are there to
be part of the green fuel infrastructure, and then to create demand. In
response, Mr Claes Berglund raised the trajectory of LNG as a fuel, and how
the industry can learn from the process of introducing a new fuel to the
industry. The first day
of 2022’s Maritime Cyprus Conference was preceded by an Opening Reception
held yesterday at the Amathus Beach Hotel, Limassol where the “Cyprus
Maritime Award 2021” was presented in recognition of the contribution of
individuals or companies to the development of Cyprus Shipping. The “Cyprus
Maritime Personality Award” was bestowed to Mr Christos Mavrellis. The detailed program of the
conference is available here: https://maritimecyprus.dms.gov.cy/conference-programme/maritime-cyprus-conference,81 (SCH) |
