Key questions about maritime’s decarbonization drive were answered by industry leaders at the second annual ABS Sustainability Summit.

The summit brought together leaders from shipping companies such as Angelicoussis Group, Ocean Network Express (ONE), Pasha Hawaii and Seaspan Corporation with key figures from finance and trade, including Citi and Sumitomo as well as influential voices from organizations such as Boston Consulting Group, the Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping, Vanderbilt University School of Engineering, The International Chamber of Shipping, Watson Farley & Williams, and Marsoft Inc.

“Reaching 2050 is currently a challenge where we can only see the outline of a solution. While 2030 may be within operational reach, 2050 will require a solution played out across the entire value chain. That’s why today’s event is so important, bringing together leading players from right across the industry to debate the challenges, highlight the journey traveled already and throw some light on the road ahead. We need to hear these voices because, such is the scale of the decarbonization challenge, shipowners alone cannot be expected to meet it,” said ABS Chairman, President and CEO, Christopher J. Wiernicki.

Key questions tackled by the summit included: How will a decarbonized economy reshape the maritime industry? How is consumer demand influencing organizations’ sustainability decisions? How does a complete value chain view impact future fuel choices?

“The common theme we heard across today’s discussions was the importance of having policies in place to encourage first movers and the importance of continuous improvement.  A static approach will not suffice over the next few decades. Ships and organizations will need to be able to continuously evolve,” said Georgios Plevrakis, ABS Director, Global Sustainability.