Following the speech by Mr. Arsenio Dominguez, Secretary General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), titled “STEERING THE GLOBAL INDUSTRY THROUGH TRANSFORMATION,” a discussion followed with questions posed to Mr. Arsenio Dominguez by the President of Capital Link, Mr. Nikos Bornozis.
Question:
What is the IMO’s plan of action for integrating autonomous ships into international regulation and ensuring clarity regarding liability?
Answer:
“The finalization of the voluntary code is set to take place next year by the Maritime Safety Committee. Once we finalize the voluntary code there, the Facilitation Committee and the Legal Committee will examine their respective competencies, their aspects, including liability. Our target is the early 2030s for the finalization of the mandatory code and its entry into force.
Meanwhile, I also want to take this opportunity to reiterate that we recognize the progress regarding automation and we are taking advantage of it. This does not mean that the goal is the elimination of seafarers from ships for certain routes. We have already seen that in some parts of the world short-sea shipping benefits from ship automation. However, regarding ocean-going vessels, we need the support of seafarers.
Therefore, this is one of the areas of technological progress that will enhance the operational aspects of ships, increase the safety, sustainability, and environmental credentials of ships, while simultaneously addressing some of the difficulties and challenges we face regarding the human element.
We talked about the lack of specialized seafarers available, as well as the fact that there are not enough seafarers on ships. And of course, fatigue is still one of the main causes of accidents. At the same time, technology offers many solutions for managing administrative task loads that can support seafarers and then allow them to focus on the specific work that actually requires maintenance.
They can focus on the flexibility and safety of the ships and not so much on the bureaucracy that they also have to manage.”
Question:
Will the IMO move towards real-time emission reporting and transparent monitoring of compliance?
Answer:
“I do not have an answer to that question at this moment. One of the goals set for the organization is to enhance transparency in all the work we do, in the way we share information, in the way operators also share information, as well as in the way we communicate with everyone else, including ourselves.
We talked about how we collaborate and you may have noticed that I do not use these words, ‘collaboration and coordination,’ very loosely, because I always want to focus on the actions of how we do it. There are still areas of the organization that we are seeking to improve.
Transparency and the exchange of information, I am sure this is one of those topics that will continue to be discussed, and the more trust we build between us, the easier it will be to share information as well.”
Question:
How is the IMO preparing seafarers for the green transition, especially in training for new fuels and technologies, while ensuring fair treatment and welfare?
Answer:
“Regarding training, we are currently in the full revision of the STCW convention.
The plan at the moment is to complete the revision around 2029. However, we also agree, due to the importance of safety aspects and training for decarbonization, that we will proceed with these requirements in the development of the necessary training standards.
We started this year focusing on training for methanol and ethanol, because these were the fuels for which we had the most data and information. We agree that we will then proceed to ammonia, as well as hydrogen-derived fuels. And of course, we are advancing in carbon capture and storage technology.
Furthermore, it is no secret that we also began to examine the revision of nuclear technology in shipping. As we move forward, we will develop all these training requirements. The pricing mechanism will also provide this financial support for these areas regarding seafarers.
Regarding the issue of welfare, it is important to note that we must maintain our relationship with the international labor organizations as we focus on training regarding the social aspects of shipping.
Here, and especially the Maritime Labour Convention of 2006, is what set the standards. We cooperate very closely with the ILO on this issue, because we share the guidelines for ship inspection, but at the same time, I will continue to ask the industry to invest in seafarers.
We want to attract new talent, we want to show that we care about the people who make this industry move daily for the benefit of everyone on the planet, including all of us sitting here. We must invest and we must treat seafarers better. We must provide them with better accommodation, with proper coverage, Wi-Fi, etc.
We must treat them the same way we treat our staff here on land.”
Question:
Can the Secretary-General analyze the efforts to enhance gender equality and diversity in the maritime sector, within the framework of IMO’s broader strategy?
Answer:
“The data from the recent survey we published in May of this year showed that there was greater participation in the survey, but at the same time, the numbers decreased instead of increasing in relation to the participation of women.
We are progressing regarding recruitment, support, and training and mentoring programs within the IMO, in order to enhance not only the visibility but also the participation of women.
In order to show that we are serious, we are taking small samples of specific tangible actions, such as non-participation in panels when there is no female representation. We have even addressed this issue by creating a database of women who are registered and ready to participate in any maritime events.
We all talk about leadership. We will not be able to change this pattern if we do not first demonstrate the said leadership. This does not mean that it always has to be those women who participate in the events.”
Question:
What do you consider as the top priority of the IMO for the next five years and how will you balance the competing pressures of decarbonization, digitalization, and safety at sea?
Answer:
“Decarbonization will continue to be at the top of the IMO’s agenda. The geopolitical negative impact that certain actions have on shipping will also continue to be at the top. Then, of course, seafarers, not only regarding the areas of training and criminalization of seafarers and how we can support them further, but also how we make the sector more diverse in terms of people.
We continue to progress. We learn from experience, we learn from all of you, technological development, and so we continue our work. It is difficult, but it is very interesting. It is an excellent time to be part of this sector, because it allows us to see the progress we are making and the areas in which we can continue to improve.
We want to make this sector a sector that demonstrates its credentials, that is committed to continuing to provide over 80% of goods to everyone worldwide and that is serious about being sustainable. Henceforth, we want to share this experience and expertise with others.
We need support from other sectors to achieve all our goals. We need to learn from them, but we also want them to learn from us and interact more with us.”
