Green Economy in a Blue World-Full Report

ballast water in order to meet the requirements IMO’s International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments 2004, which includes technical standards and requirements to prevent the import of alien marine organisms into local ecosystems (IMO, 2012i). Furthermore, radical recent amendments to Annex VI of the MARPOL Convention (governing atmospheric pollution) require ships to reduce the sulphur content of fuel dramatically, to just 0.1per cent inEmissionControl Areas (ECAs) from 2015, and to 0.5 per cent elsewhere (from the current level of 4.5 per cent outside ECAs) (IMO, 2012a). However, these new IMO requirements to reduce emissions of air pollutants and consequent impacts on the environment and, in particular, on the health of populations living on the coastline, also create opportunities for the development of new exhaust scrubbing technologies as a (legally permitted) alternative to the use of low sulphur fuels. because international maritime transport generally operates away from land, its direct social impacts are largely confined to the 1.5 million seafarers it employs, about two-thirds of whom reside in developing countries (ICS, 2010a). In this respect, the shipping industry is probably unique in that it has a mandatory framework of international employment standards, adopted by the International Labour Organization (ILO), which is enforced by governments worldwide and developed on a tripartite basis in agreement with international representatives of maritime employers and seafarers’trade unions (ILO, 2012). Quite aside from the employment of seafarers, shipping also generates considerable opportunities ashore, be it within governmental departments (maritime administrations; port authorities; accident investigation units; maritime training academies; etc.) or the private sector (shipping companies; ship, port and terminal operators; shipbuilding and ship repair yards; offshore industries; equipment manufacturers; insurance companies; average adjusters; freight forwarders, etc.). These professions – too numerous to list – make important contributions to the world economy, while remittances from seafarers often represent notable contributions to the foreign exchange earnings of nations and to the economies of local communities. International shipping activity, therefore, has a significantly beneficial impact on the livelihoods of large numbers of people around the world. 2.3 Social challenges and opportunities From the social perspective,

One specific area where the environmental impact of maritime transport has such wider social implications includes the working conditions in ship recycling yards (mostly located in China and the Indian subcontinent). IMO’s International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships is specifically intended to help improve health and safety and environmental conditions in recycling yards (IMO, 2012j). The Convention reflects the ‘cradle to grave’ responsibilities of ship-owners, from the time of a ship’s construction to its final demolition, and regulates the actions which will be required and which should be approved by ships’ flag States and authorities in ship recycling nations (ICS, 2010b). In particular, the Convention requires the preparation and maintenance of inventories of hazardous materials and the disposal of redundant ships at approved facilities. On another front, international shipping is making strides to promote the role of women within the industry, which has historically been a preserve of men. Increasing numbers of women are, however, being engaged in the various maritime industries, including for service onboard ships (as captains and senior officers) and ashore (as managers of shipping companies). While this is the outcome of enlightened policies or self-interest on the part of some stakeholders, the fact remains that there are growing numbers of professional associations around the world for women engaged in shipping (WISTA, 2012). Some of these have been established with specifically- targeted support from IMO, which has had a “Women in Development” programme for some 20 years, including a dedicated technical assistance programme designed to support the integration of women from developing countries in the maritime sector. 2.4 The economic case for greening the maritime transport sector A distinction should perhaps be made between implementing further improvements which to help completely eliminate environmental pollution by ships (including atmospheric pollution in the vicinity of coastlines), and the contribution to the green economy which shipping can make more generally by reducing its CO 2 emissions. 2.4.1 Description of the maritime sector as a business The international shipping industry is responsible for the carriage of about 90 per cent of world trade by volume and is vital to the functioning of the global economy. Without shipping, intercontinental trade, the

in a Blue World

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