IMO-UNEP-Norway Innovation Forum explored how to ensure inclusive innovation to support transition of maritime sector towards decarbonization.
The transition in maritime towards a decarbonized sector has already begun and will continue, but this must be done in an inclusive way. This was a key theme throughout the second edition of the IMO-UNEP-Norway Innovation Forum, which was held on 28 and 29 September at IMO Headquarters, London, United Kingdom, and online.
The event coincided with the World Maritime Day (29 September) and emphasized the theme for 2022: “New technologies for greener shipping” – reflecting the need to support a green transition of the maritime sector into a sustainable future, while leaving no one behind.
Opening the Forum, IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim said that ‘innovation’ and ‘inclusivity’ were key to accelerating decarbonization of the maritime sector.
“Innovation is fundamental to a successful energy transition of the maritime industry. It requires new technologies, renewable alternative fuels and infrastructure to support low- and zero-carbon shipping and new financial solutions to support all these. We also need innovative ecosystems, created through research and development partnerships in particular involving the private sector. We need all hands-on-deck to ensure the success of these initiatives. This needs to be done in the most inclusive way possible: we will only succeed by journeying together, developing countries, in particular Least Developed countries (LDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS) must be on board the energy transition as we address capacity-building, technology and infrastructure needs,” Secretary-General Lim said.
Mr. Wegger Strømmen, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Norway to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, echoed the need for an inclusive journey. “We need a framework for all countries to take part in the move to climate neutral [economies], including shipping,” he said.
Mr. Sveinung Oftedal, Specialist Director, Department of Marine Management and Pollution Control, Ministry of Climate and Environment, Norway, said that meeting the IMO ambition is the most pressing and complex task in the modern era of shipping. “I am convinced that this pressing and complex task of decarbonizing shipping is indeed possible,” he added, emphasizing the need for inclusive innovation and the deployment of sustainable technologies in developing countries – many of which are dominant in providing seafarers and have large ship registries.
Nearly 2,000 attendees (in person and online) heard from numerous high-profile speakers, including representatives of Governments, regulators, industry and academia, in a number of panels (list of speakers and the programme here):
IMO policies – driving the maritime decarbonization agenda
IMO regulations drive innovation. Harry Conway, Vice-Chair, IMO Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) updated the forum on the latest developments on the regulatory side, including the forthcoming entry into force of carbon intensity measures (CII and EEXI) and the work to be done on the revision of the Initial IMO GHG Strategy by mid-2023.
Mr. Vikrant Rai, Deputy Director General Technical, Directorate General of Shipping, Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, India and Mr. Plinio Nastari, President, Datagro Ltd., Brazil, shared the developments in their countries in producing biofuels (in Brazil) and plans to produce ammonia and hydrogen (India).
Innovative practices to drive new technologies and alternative fuels
Panelists shared examples of projects supporting the deployment of low carbon technologies, including by the UN Climate Technology Centre and Network (CTCN); the IRENA Innovation and Technology Centre (IITC); the European Commission; and a Germany-sponsored project on Transitioning to Low Carbon Sea Transport in the Marshall islands.
Mr.Madhu Nair, Chief Executive Officer, Cochin Shipyard, explained how global partnerships are supporting the development, build and trials of low and zero carbon vessels, for deployment in India and in other countries.
The shipyard has worked with a number of global partners to build 23 electric ferries for local use in the integrated urban water transport system which connects 10 islands in Cochin. These will be charged and powered from solar grid. Another 50 ferries will be built and deployed in the next three years. With Norway, two autonomous zero emission ferries have been built and deployed to Norway and are undergoing testing.
The shipyard is building a 100-passenger hydrogen fuel cell ferry under a pilot project and is looking to run a green ammonia powered bulk carrier and a coastal tug by 2027. Other projects in final stages with international cooperation include a short sea zero emission hydrogen-hybrid container vessel; a wind farm support vessel (methanol fuelled) for a European owner; and a hydrogen hybrid coast bulker for a European owner.
“It is the global cooperative model that is working here. This transition, countries like India, countries like ours, the teaming up which we see – it is all about cooperation. No single country, no single company will be able to move forward (alone). We need to learn from the best practices,” Mr. Nair said.
IMO’s Anton Rhodes presented the IMO CARES (Coordinated Actions to Reduce Emissions from Shipping) project, which will bring together the various low/zero carbon R&D centres, the Maritime Technology Cooperation Centres, financial institutions, donors, IMO GHG initiatives and the private sector. The aim is to accelerate the demonstration of low/ zero carbon technologies and alternative fuels in the field and promote their deployment in a manner that facilitates blue economic growth in developing regions while creating new technology markets.
Ensuring a people-centred transition
“Climate action poses significant non-technical challenges with a large human dimension,” highlighted Guy Platten, Secretary-General, International Chamber of Shipping (ICS). Other panelists reflected on the need to ensure a just transition, which also included a focus on training of seafarers who would operate future ships, with the challenges of low and zero-carbon fuels; as well as the need to focus on promoting diversity within the sector. Failure to include half the population would be short-sighted.
Transformation in shipping has happened before, noted Despina Panayiotou Theodosiou, President, WISTA International, but these changes, such as from wind to steam to oil took much longer. But the sector has a big advantage, she added. “This is a change with a significant difference – we have more control over this change – we understand it more,” Ms Panayiotou Theodosiou said.
Financing new technologies for greener shipping
“Green ports, sustainable fuels and new innovative technologies all need investment. Financial institutions have a unique opportunity to steer ocean linked sectors towards sustainability”. said Dennis Fritsch of the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI)
IMO, together with European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the World Bank. have created the FINSMART Roundtable, to bring together project beneficiary countries, donors and International Financial Institutions, as well as other financial sector representatives to discuss financing risks, opportunities and identify potential financial products, solutions – all with a focus on financing needs of developing countries, LDCs and SIDS.
“In order to have a meaningful transformation the financial sector needs to look at all the dimensions, all the value chains related to decarbonization of the maritime industry,” said Gianpiero Nacci, Director, Green Economy and Climate Action, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).
Andrew Losos, Senior specialist in Sustainable Transportation, World Bank, said that the World Bank had to be interested in shipping’s decarbonization, because it is part of decarbonizing the economy all around the world.
Green transformation: a voyage together
“Finding the right pathways for each country – and accelerating the transition – is a great challenge unprecedented in history and therefore we must work together. No single country can achieve this voyage alone,” said Nancy Karigithu, Principal Secretary, State Department for Shipping and Maritime, Ministry of Transport, Infrastructure, Housing, Urban Development and Public Works & Ambassador for Maritime and Blue Economy, Kenya.
This was echoed by Mandana Mansoorian, Vice-Chair, IMO Technical Cooperation Committee: “Leaving no one behind is key. Without consensus we cannot move forward.”
MO’s Louise Proctor outlined the pathway through technical cooperation for countries to build their capacity to implement IMO regulations, while Gyorgyi Gurban, Head, Projects Implementation, Department of Partnerships and Projects, IMO outlined the range of IMO global projects targeting GHG reduction and supporting least developed countries and small island developing States.
These projects bridge the knowledge gap with developed nations and spread innovation along the maritime chain. They include the sharing of information on new maritime decarbonization initiatives using the IMO-Singapore NextGEN portal, knowledge sharing via the network of MTCCs ; and the IMO-Norway GreenVoyage2050 Project that assists developing countries to implement low-carbon projects and optimize existing systems and is currently preparing a major pilot project. The IMO CARES emission reduction project will also support this process, within its preparatory phase actively seeking solutions on how to link North and South R&D efforts, and how to link country needs and ongoing R&D effort, with the inclusion of the financial sector. The Germany-funded Asia Maritime Transport Emissions project (known as the Blue Solutions Project) aims to support East and Southeast Asian countries in identifying opportunities to prevent and reduce transport emissions. The Republic of Korea funded GHG SMART’s main aim is to support SIDS and LDCs with the implementation of the IMO GHG Strategy via building sufficient human capacity.
Developing inclusive and innovative ecosystems
The final panel focused on how inclusive innovation is happening already, through a number of different ecosystems. Representatives of several IMO-established Maritime Technology Cooperation Centres (MTCCS) presented a positive overview of their experiences in trialing technology, completing pilot studies including data collection and sharing knowledge.
Looking forward
In his closing remarks, IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim said, “The ideas generated by your debates will undoubtedly contribute to further strengthening work around some key issues, in particular, the need: to work towards decarbonization and strengthened levels of ambition, whilst taking into account the needs of developing States, especially Small Island Developing states (SIDS) and Least Developed Countries (LDCs); and to deploy green technologies globally in a manner that facilitates blue economic growth in developing countries. But technological innovation must proceed hand-in-hand with inclusivity.”
Summing up, Forum moderator Craig Eason said the Forum discussions had set the scene for future work on how the transition to low carbon shipping can happen in a global holistic manner: where no country struggles to keep pace and fails to benefit from the change; where risk can be reduced or shared; where finance is made available and properly allocated; where trust and confidence to meet the needs of the transition can grow; and where the right people are given the right skills to make a difference and allow ownership of their own country’s transition.
The next edition of the Forum will take place in 2023.
IMO partnership with Commonwealth Secretariat
At the end of the second day of the Forum, IMO signed a partnership agreement with the Commonwealth Secretariat, under which both organisations commit to strengthening the maritime and port sectors in selected developing countries through activities which will promote the adoption of sustainable maritime transport systems and practices. (Read more here.)
IMO-UNEP-Norway Innovation Forum 2022
The Innovation Forum is an annual two-day hybrid global platform aimed at championing innovation to accelerate the transition of the marine sector towards a zero- and low-emission future. The Forum in 2022 is linked to the IMO World Maritime Day theme 2022 “New Technologies for Greener Shipping”, with a special emphasis on inclusive innovation for decarbonization of the maritime sector.
