During his keynote address at Capital Link’s 14th Annual International Shipping Forum, Knut Ørbeck-Nilssen, DNV GL Maritime CEO, spoke about tackling global transformations, calling for industry stakeholders to be open-minded to new opportunities, ways of working and different solutions heading into the new decade.

While addressing attendees of the digital forum, Ørbeck-Nilssen spoke of the importance of maintaining focus on the major transformations shaping the maritime world beyond the current health crisis, namely increasingly unpredictable markets, shifting environmental regulations, and the impact of digitalization.

Ørbeck-Nilssen stressed that the uptake of alternative fuels, in addition to other measures like increasing ships’ energy efficiency, speed reduction, and more effective logistics would all have to play a part for the industry to achieve the IMO’s 2050 targets for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

“When it comes to fuels, it is important to act now and not wait for the ‘perfect’ fuel,” said Ørbeck-Nilssen. “While the size of a vessel, it’s operating profile, and type of cargo, are all factors that need to be taken into consideration when evaluating potential fuel alternatives for a particular vessel, DNV GL sees gas as the first large scale alternative fuel to initiate the needed change and also serve as a bridging fuel into the more distant future. Gas is readily available today and can deliver measurable GHG reductions of 15-20%.”

Ørbeck-Nilssen concluded by emphasizing that due to the transformations gripping the shipping industry, having quality and safety at the core of every decision was more important than ever.