Industry leaders join the advisory panel to oversee the Hub’s activities.

Lloyd’s Register (LR) has named the industry experts who have joined the advisory panel of its Maritime Decarbonisation Hub and will ensure that the Hub fulfils its mission of providing the right level of insight, collaboration and leadership to support the shipping industry address its decarbonisation challenges.

The panel is made up of representatives from across the industry and includes:

• Ole Graa Jakobsen – VP Head of Fleet Technology at AP Moller-Maersk
• Tom Strang – Senior Vice President, Maritime Affairs at Carnival Maritime
• Aoife O’Leary – Director at Environmental Defence Fund
• Damien Speight – Head of Markets Innovation at Orsted
• Katy Ware – Director of UK Maritime Services at the MCA

The members of the advisory panel will report into a Governance Board made up of representatives from Lloyd’s Register Group and Foundation, which will meet quarterly and review all aspects of the programme.

LR’s Maritime Decarbonisation Hub, launched in October 2020, is a dedicated centre of excellence to accelerate the safe, sustainable and cost-effective decarbonisation of world shipping in support of delivering greenhouse gas reduction targets.

“We’re thrilled to welcome the Advisory Panel onboard our Maritime Decarbonisation Hub. They represent different areas of shipping, from regulators to shipowners, as well as energy providers outside of the industry, which will help us pinpoint the challenges these areas are facing. Their role is fundamental in ensuring that the Hub works in line with its primary mission which is to help the shipping industry safely and sustainably transition to a decarbonised fleet,” commented LR’s Decarbonisation Programme Manager, Charles Haskell.

Katy Ware, Director of UK Maritime Services at the MCA is also the UK’s Permanent Representative to the International Maritime Organization. Ware said: “As a world and as an industry, we undoubtedly face challenges to address the ongoing effects of climate change but it’s also a real opportunity for those of us who lead maritime standards globally to show that we can drive it forward. As the UK Flag, we will do all we can to ensure that regulation and innovation go hand in hand to keep ships and seafarers safe while working with industry to push forward targets in decarbonisation. It’s vital that we support industry but it’s equally vital we make maritime sustainable to protect our seas and the wider world for future generations.”

Damien Speight, Head of Markets Innovation at Orsted said: “Great things often start small, a raindrop can start a waterfall, sharing a cup of coffee in 1760 started Lloyd’s Register. Since that first coffee, Lloyd’s Register have been at the heart of maritime innovation, guiding shipping through its major fuel transitions. The launching of the Decarbonisation Maritime Hub, marks another turning point in maritime history, a small step towards a carbon free future. I am looking forward to my first Lloyd’s Register coffee on the advisory panel and sharing ideas and vision as how we can put the wind back in our sails.”

Aoife O’Leary, Director at Environmental Defence Fund said: “Shipping must begin its move away from fossil fuels immediately if it is to align with the goals of the Paris Agreement and prevent the worst effects of a warming planet. The Hub is a great initiative that can make it happen, bringing together progressive players that can show the rest of the maritime industry and regulators how decarbonisation can be done right and quickly.”

“Creation of the Hub is yet another proof that shipping can decarbonise, that there are technological solutions to do so and that the industry is keen on moving faster than currently required by the regulators,” O’Leary concluded.

More panellists will be confirmed later this year.

The naming of the members of the LR Maritime Decarbonisation Hub advisory panel follows the launch of the Future Seascapes virtual art exhibition in December 2020.

In related news, the findings of the Lloyd’s List and Lloyd’s Register shipping decarbonisation survey have been released today.