1. The index of happiness afloat
2. Y-splitter warning
3. Ocean shipping reform
4. Emissions trading
5. Insurance ban
6. Social interaction
7. Offshore safety
8. Crew contracts
9. Anti- roll app
10. Port dispute
11. Future of shipping
12. Seafarer burials
13. Cyber security
14. Safe decarbonisation
15. EEXI guidelines
Notices & Miscellany
Readersâ responses to our articles are very welcome and, where suitable, will be reproduced. Write to: contactus@themaritimeadvocate.com
1. The index of happiness afloat
By Michael Grey
It was the annual âDay of the Seafarerâ last week, not that anyone outside the maritime world actually noticed, although some institutions, managers and maritime employers made kindly pronouncements about the value of these essential workers. It came a few days after the publication of the latest Mission to Seafarers and Standard Club Seafarersâ Happiness Index, which, perhaps predictably, showed this indicator of joy sinking to new lows.
I suppose we cannot be surprised at this lack of enthusiasm for the life seafarers lead at sea, after more than two years of accumulated misery caused by the pandemic and their confinement for months, even years, on end aboard their ships. Few seafarers these days are motivated by the search for adventure and the lure of foreign parts which enthused many of their predecessors, but the shameful treatment of this forgotten workforce in so many of the worldâs ports is bringing its predictable reward. There is a genuine manning crisis today and the industry is beginning to feel the loss of a lot of talented people who are electing to stay ashore rather than return to a job which did not appear to value them.
Seafarers are no different from their opposite numbers in shore occupations and the pandemic has made vast numbers rather more introspective about what they do for a living. And as always, it will be the brightest and best who will tend to go and do something different, where their lives might just be better and more meaningful. Marine employers will be left trying to fill the vacancies they leave behind them.
If there are any positive things to register, it is that the best employers are themselves taking a hard look at what they offer and seeking to address their employment âpackagesâ. It is not just a matter of money, although this is important, to attract and retain staff, but what might be described as the fringe benefits that make one employer stand out from others. Surveys of seafarersâ attitudes invariably throw up the importance of connectivity and affordable internet and telephone communications and the best employers are reacting appropriately. And there is no excuse not to provide better connectivity for crews, as there are good deals to be done with providers.
Good employers are also taking a look at tour lengths, improved arrangements for payment and allotments, saving schemes and pension provision, along with medical services for seafarers to provide protection for both their time afloat and ashore. These will make a great difference to those who live in countries where medical services are either costly or poorly provisioned. It is also notable that the standard of accommodation and on-board catering are issues that increasingly matter to seafarers and which can serve to discriminate between employers. It is also a positive sign that there is much more open discussion about âwellnessâ issues, whether it be related to physical or mental health. There is more recognition of the industryâs record on health and safety and the lamentable suicide rate. A generation ago these matters would have been largely ignored.
So far, so good and hopefully the employers who can offer something better than was available in the past will benefit from their ability to recruit the more capable seafarers, just as long as they can find them. Nevertheless, there has always been a wide spectrum in what has been on offer for the questing maritime employee and it is regrettably the case that these divisions between the best and worst are probably widening.
With maritime employment, unlike that ashore, it just isnât true that any improvements to wages and conditions will âfloat all boatsâ- across the board. In the global bazaar in which ship manning operates, there will be plenty of employers, manning agencies and the like, which will remain oblivious to any pressure to improve, because they know they donât have to.
They know that there will always be, as there always has been, huge numbers of potential seafarers, somewhere in the world, desperate for any form of employment, no matter how awful it might be, because they will have few other opportunities for work in their benighted countries of origin. Paradoxically, it is the employers who care about standards and quality who will be experiencing the difficulties of recruitment, post-pandemic. And thatâs not cynicism â but the reality which has always seen the shipping industry populated by the good, the bad and the ugly.
Heâs asking for $5000p.m, free internet and a guarantee of happiness!!!!
Michael Grey is former editor of Lloydâs List.
2. Y-splitter warning
The Standard Club says it is seeing an increasing number of requests from members who are considering the use of Y-splitter cable adaptors in order to increase the reefer capacity on their containerships beyond their designed limit. However, when doing so, there is a risk of overloading the power cables, the club warns.
This would generate excess heat and increase the potential of fire. This risk is further enhanced by the absence of frequent monitoring and review, of the condition of the extra cabling, sockets, plugs and reefers by the crew.
3. Ocean shipping reform
US law firm Holland & Knight has recently issued an insight piece saying that since its passage on June 16, 2022, the shipping industry is understandably focused on the implications of the Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2022 (OSRA) (Pub. Law No. 117-146, 2022 Enacted S. 3580), and the rulemakings that will follow. In the meantime, the ongoing activities at the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) are continuing to establish guidance on shipping practices and charges through its investigation and adjudicatory authority.
As addressed in a previous Holland & Knight alert, FMC Commissioner Rebecca Dye recently released the Final Report on Fact Finding 29, making 12 recommendations, along with a number of findings and conclusions concerning freight rates, market competition, billing practices and FMC enforcement matters.
Also see Holland & Knight’s previous alert, “FMC Releases Final Fact Finding Recommendations, Stresses Mutually Enforceable Contracts”
4. Emissions trading
On 22 June the European Parliament adopted its position on the EU Emission Trading System (EU ETS), which includes an expansion of the ETS to include shipping emissions. The European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO) has welcomed the EP position that it says outlines an ambitious and robust ETS that includes measures to address, and if possible, avoid carbon and business leakage. ESPO also welcomes the fact that the EP position includes earmarking of revenues for investments in ports and maritime.
ESPO says that in order for a regional ETS in the EU to be effective and aligned with the polluter pays principle, carbon leakage through rerouting of ships outside of the ETS scope must be avoided at all costs. If this is not addressed in the final legislation, the ETS would fail to effectively reduce emissions from ships whilst also producing a negative impact on the European port business.European ports therefore strongly support the measures adopted by the European Parliament making it less attractive for ships to change their routes, divert calls, or engage in other evasive behaviours in order to avoid paying into the EU ETS.
“The EP position on EU ETS contains many of the key elements for an ambitious and effective maritime emission trading system. We very much welcome the willingness of the Parliament to address the risk of carbon and business leakage, which would undermine the climate goals whilst damaging the competitiveness of the EU port sector. We hope that EU Member States take these measures onboard in their general approach as part of finding a solution to this issue. Some further fine-tuning might be needed but all the necessary elements for a solution are now on the table.â, says Isabelle Ryckbost, ESPO Secretary General.
The ESPO-EFIP study on the implications of the changing energy landscape on Europeâs ports was released and presented at ESPOâs Annual Conference in Valencia recently â the result of a collaboration with the European Federation of Inland Ports.
5. Insurance ban
Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has requested the EU to “avert the impact” on Sakhalin equity oil liftings from the EU’s ban on insuring and financing seaborne transport of Russian oil to third countries, a METI source told S&P Global Commodity Insights of June 22.
Japan’s moves came as Brussels’ sixth sanctions against Russia published on June 3 also included the prohibition of EU operators insuring and financing seaborne transport of Russian oil to third countries after a wind-down period of six months. For further details see https://www.spglobal.com/commodityinsights/en/market-insights
6. Social interaction
In a report released recently the International Seafarersâ Welfare and Assistance Network (ISWAN) details the findings from phase two of its Social Interaction Matters (SIM) project and provides actionable guidance and recommendations for shipping and ship management companies, seafarers and other maritime stakeholders. The project is funded by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and the Red Ensign Group, who sponsored the project with the help of Trinity House and funding from the UK Government.
The SIM Projectâs phase two research gathered first-hand accounts from the seafarers of 21 vessels from 10 different shipping companies operating worldwide, and examined the data to explore the impacts, drivers and barriers of social interaction whilst living and working on board. The research took place between November 2020 and January 2022 and coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic, the pervasive influence of which is demonstrated and explored throughout the report.
Dr Kate Pike, the SIM Projectâs Research leader, said:âThe project has shown that social interaction promotes mental and physical health and provides an essential outlet for seafarers from their work on board. It enables all crew to get to know each other better which supports a caring environment that helps to develop a strong safety culture where people look out for each other. Social interaction and activities are not just pleasurable pastimes, they are a necessity that should be fully supported by shipping companies and strong leadership on board and ashore.â
The findings highlight the importance of engaged and visible leadership both on board and ashore, to support and encourage crew participation in any social activities. Vessels in the SIM trials that supported their crew in this were able to mitigate the effects of long hours, numerous port calls and other factors that otherwise lowered mood. The report also states that more clearly established boundaries are needed between work and rest time on board.
From these findings, along with those from the projectâs phase one, ISWAN has developed a set of actionable guidance and recommendations for shipping and ship management companies, seafarers and other maritime stakeholders to improve opportunities for crew to socially interact. These are designed to help promote a varied programme of social events, tailored to different crew needs and diversities, and different voyage plans and vessel specifications.
Among the report recommendations is the appointment of a voluntary Social Ambassador on board every vessel to help convene social activities and promote crew engagement. ISWAN also recommends free WiFi services for all crew to stay in touch with family and friends and access online entertainment; and frequent review of recreation facilities to ensure they meet the crewâs preferences and needs.
The report concludes that further research is needed into the effects of fatigue and tiredness, and their impact on seafarer mental health. ISWAN plans to continue the development of SIM as a long-term project for seafarer wellbeing, starting with a controlled evaluation of the effectiveness of the projectâs guidance and recommendations which ISWAN hopes will lead to its establishment as a continuing resource for the sector.
ISWANâs Social Interaction Matters (SIM) Project Phase Two Report can be downloaded here.
7. Offshore safety
As the number of people working in offshore wind energy grows, Scottish company Zelim is creating the worldâs first offshore autonomous casualty detection and tracking system, alongside revolutionary technology that rescues people who have fallen overboard.
Edinburgh-based Zelim recently successfully demonstrated their two-step recovery system to the offshore wind industry. The companyâs real time AI-based casualty detection system â SARBox â detects and tracks multiple people in the water in all weather conditions.  Zelimâs Swift Rescue Conveyor then recovers casualties in record time.
SARBox was recently demonstrated for the first time at Project SANCHO, a live international exercise at Orstedâs Race Bank offshore wind farm to assess the industryâs emergency response capability. It successfully identified and tracked multiple casualties during the exercise that included the Maritime Coastguard Agency, US Coast Guard, the RNLI, police and Offshore Wind Farm operators.The Swift Rescue Conveyor also recently completed ârough weather trialsâ where it tackled wind speeds of 46mph and 3m waves â recovering casualties from the water 30 seconds from first point of contact. Offshore Wind vessels using current overboard recovery systems took over five minutes from first contact. The Swift will launch at Seawork22 this month.
Sam Mayall, CEO of Zelim, said:âAlthough still rare, accidents do occur offshore and during a person overboard incident, the sooner you can get someone out of the water the better. The difference between 30 seconds and five minutes could be life or death. Our SARBox is cutting out the search element of âsearch and rescueâ and the Swift Rescue Conveyor is getting people out of the water quicker while decreasing the risk of injury during the rescue.â
The development of SARBox and Swift has been supported by the Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult and the Offshore Wind Growth Partnership (OWGP). In 2019, Zelim joined ORE Catapultâs national Launch Academy, a technology accelerator programme for the offshore wind industry. In 2020, ORE Catapult supported Zelim in the development of an unmanned rescue vessel and in 2021, Zelim worked with ORE Catapult and secured funding from the OWGP to develop SARBox.
Andrew Macdonald, Director of Offshore Wind Development and Operations at ORE Catapult, said: âInnovation faces challenges at every stage from concept through to development and commercialisation. ORE Catapult has been delighted to support Zelim at each stage â from start-up business support through the Launch Academy, collaborative R&D to accelerate technology development, and an OWGP Innovation Grant to finance further growth.
8. Crew contracts
Competent and well-motivated crew are an essential element of a shipownerâs operations. In recent years, there has been a lot of coverage of the pressures faced by crew at sea, particularly during the Covid pandemic as changeovers and shore leave have been more difficult to achieve. The conflict in the Ukraine has further complicated port call and crew transfer considerations, impacting both crew and owners.
An article by Gard P&I Club provides some guidance to members regarding crew contracts. It focuses on the scope of P&I cover in respect of crew, the best approach to ensure liabilities are covered under a Gard P&I entry, and the importance of fair and clear contract terms. Gard also touches upon a few of the current issues facing crew, including Covid and mental health.
See https://www.gard.no/web/updates/content/33730020/time-to-review-your-crew-contracts-let-us-help
9. Anti-roll app
Synchronous or parametric rolling occurs suddenly and is hard to control. DNVâs new Anti-Roll Assist app now allows captains to recognize and avoid the risk before it becomes a threat.
Resonant rolling is a hydrodynamic phenomenon that can leave even the most experienced captains at a loss. The ship suddenly begins to rock sideways excessively, and in the worst case containers go overboard. It may happen so fast that there is practically no time to react. This has prompted DNV, after years of research, to develop an easy-to-use software app that can help shipmasters avoid this situation altogether.
Container loss at sea is relatively rare, considering that more than 200 million containers are shipped across the worldâs oceans every year, says Arne Schulz-Heimbeck, Senior Principal Engineer and Programme Development Manager for Containerships at DNV. Yet those few incidents make big waves in the media and can damage the reputation of the shipowner and operator, in addition to the financial loss. Furthermore, lost containers floating in the water are a hazard for ocean traffic, especially for smaller ships.
10. Port dispute
The US Supreme Court is set to adjudicate in a dispute involving the ports of New York and New Jersey concerning the Waterfront Commission of New York Harbour.
The court granted both statesâ joint motion to decide whether New Jersey can withdraw from the Waterfront Commission recently. The commission was set up in 1953 through an interstate agreement approved by Congress. The court earlier this year temporarily stopped New Jerseyâs plan to leave the commission.
New Jersey lawmakers voted in 2018 to withdraw from the waterfront commission because they said the commission had over-regulated the ports and hampered economic growth. In March, New Jersey was about to dissolve the commission and hand enforcement duties to the State Police when New York took legal action arguing the state couldnât unilaterally walk away from the agreement.
11. Future of Shipping
A summit in London recently of more than 100 CEOs and government representatives unanimously agreed to establish an international cross-sectoral collaboration platform to help decarbonise the shipping industry.
The Shaping the Future of Shipping Summit convened the largest meeting of industry leaders since COP26 to address shippingâs decarbonisation agenda. CEOs and officials agreed to develop a public/private cross-sectoral platform to take forward the development of clean fuels for shipping and global transport. Different parts of the value chain have valuable information which when brought together will help develop pathways and develop best practices to ensure the industry reaches net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. Delegates included representatives of energy companies, shipowners, ports, finance firms, and technology providers, as well as development finance institutions and energy ministers.
Attendees confronted critical decarbonisation issues facing the shipping and energy sectors and agreed on an actionable roadmap to tackle them. Convened by the International Chamber of Shipping, the summit outlined several urgent actions that would accelerate the industryâs transition to green fuels and technologies.
Attendees agreed to take forward the Clean Energy Marine Hubs (CEMH) initiative to coordinate and join decarbonisation efforts from ports, shipping companies, and energy firms. The initiative could be launched as soon as September, at the upcoming Clean Energy Ministerial of 29 energy ministers from leading governments. The global Hubs platform will develop stronger cross-sector collaborations that link the energy sector with the maritime value chain, enabling policy makers and industry stakeholders to quickly unlock clean energy deployment.
The pressing need for a market-based measure to help decarbonise shipping via a carbon price on emissions was emphasised in discussions throughout the summit. In 2021, industry groups submitted a proposal to shippingâs UN regulatory body, the International Maritime Organization (IMO), to bring forward negotiations around a global market based measure by several years. Now, representatives of shippingâs value chain have doubled down on the urgent establishment of this measure, viewing it as key to reach the industryâs ambitious decarbonisation goals.
Attendees of the conference also agreed to rapidly prioritise R&D for innovating low and zero-carbon fuels and technologies. In the absence of an IMO led proposal to advance R&D industry leaders committed to take forward unilateral approaches to advance this initiative and explore other forms of collaborative coalitions. Shipping is estimated to require the entirety of the worldâs renewable energy production capacity just to provide the amount of green fuels needed to decarbonise shipping by 2050. Shipping is also projected to carry over half of all globally traded green fuels by the same date.
Guy Platten, ICSâs secretary general, commented after the summit: âCOP26 acutely highlighted the key roadblock to decarbonisation in shipping was the future fuels conundrum. Energy producers wonât invest without offtakers and shipowners donât know where to invest if they canât be sure of fuel supplies. What COP also showed is that there is too much stovepipe thinking. The solutions are going to be multi sectoral and we need to have a much stronger collaboration with energy producers and the entire maritime value chain if we are to break the logjam. This summit has shown that there is real ambition to collaborate and develop practical solutions at an accelerated pace.
âWith stakeholders across the fuel production and transportation value chains we will now work together to remove bottlenecks and de-risk green investments, to power shippingâs rapid transition through commercial scale up and wide-spread deployment of green fuels.â
Dan Dorner, Head of the Clean Energy Ministerial Secretariat added: âWe are acutely aware that shipping is at the heart of the global trade and use of energy, and therefore the worldâs net-zero targets cannot be met without an involvement of this sector in the clean energy transition. Cross-sectoral and government collaboration will be critical to creating the necessary infrastructure and technologies we need for a successful energy transition in the coming decades. The Clean Energy Marine Hubs offer promise to bring together all the key stakeholders to enable the transformation of the marine sectors and we welcome the proposal.â
Patrick Verhoeven Managing Director of the International Association of Ports and Harbours comments: âThe global port community has a responsibility to offer refuelling hubs for maritime transport and also has a great opportunity to facilitate the trade of green fuels. No one industry can achieve the worldâs decarbonisation goals independently; platforms such as this which promise to bring us together will be crucial to making those goals a reality.â
12. Seafarers burials
Over the last few years and particularly since the start of the Covid 19 pandemic there has been an increase in cases of shipping companies finding it difficult to repatriate the bodies or ashes of deceased seafarers quickly enough, in accordance with the wishes of their next of kin.
Any actions taken in the event of a death should respect the religious beliefs and customs of seafarers and their families. A new International Chamber of Shipping guide aims to:
â˘Â   Provide advice to companies on the issues concerned, and on the requirements and customs of various faiths, to be factored into any decisions taken;
â˘Â   Recommend practical steps which can be taken in the unfortunate instance of a death on board a ship; and
â˘Â   Help anyone involved in decisions affecting the repatriation of a deceased seafarer including shipsâ Masters, agents, funeral directors in ports, welfare agencies, government officials, shipowners, unions and seafarersâ families.
Faith and Burial Practices for Seafarers PDF (602 KB)
13. Cyber security
Marlink, the smart network group, and leading classification society Bureau Veritas (BV) have signed an agreement to accelerate the delivery of cyber-secure digital tools and safety services in the maritime industry.
The agreement links Marlinkâs smart hybrid connectivity with the remote digital and safety services provided by BV. Having identified crossovers in their mutual customer base, the partners will collaborate to enable maritime stakeholders to more easily adopt cyber-strengthened digital tools and applications using the Marlink network.
The partners have put in place a working group to support shipowners in improving the cyber-security of vessel data collection and facilitating compliance with regulation. This will support remote and digital operation modes on a journey to smarter, remote and, ultimately, autonomous ships with zero-emissions.
Through their experience, Marlink and Bureau Veritas identified the need for dedicated channels of co-operation, recognising a common interest in removing the barriers to smarter, cleaner vessel operations. The two organisations will seize opportunities to work outside the silos that have held back the industry from accessing data that can lower operating costs, save fuel and drive compliance.
âThis is a partnership with real purpose whose foremost point is to take action to integrate digital tools and services that can bring value for shipowners and encourage and further develop cyber-secure, innovative Class operations,â said Matthieu de Tugny, president, Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore. âBV is dedicated to helping our clients understand and manage the challenges of decarbonisation and adopt the digital tools that can support the transition
âShipowners face huge efficiency and compliance challenges over the next decade and these need to be considered now to create a future-proof path that can integrate core operational components onboard and ashore,â said Tore Morten Olsen, president, Maritime, Marlink. âDigitalisation is critical to improving voyage optimisation and vessel performance, achieving regulatory compliance and meeting ESG goals, but shipowners shouldnât have to act as project managers – this partnership means they can streamline and simplify their digital journey based on Class guidelines and recommendations.â
14. Safe decarbonisation
The International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) Council launched a new Safe Decarbonisation Panel to support the implementation of new fuels and technologies in London this week.
The IACS Council, chaired by Nick Brown, chief executive of Lloyds Register, was holding its 85th session (C85).  It acknowledged the challenge of ensuring that ambitious targets with expedited timescales for decarbonisation are delivered safely and with the necessary technical underpinning to facilitate early investment by key stakeholders.
IACS panels represent the top tier of the association’s issue-specific bodies, so establishing a Safe-Decarbonisation Panel (SDP) sends the clearest possible signal of IACS’ determination to support industry through this multi-faceted, multi-decadal challenge the association says. Giving decarbonisation the same focus as the traditional areas of safety, environment, hull, machinery, survey and cyber significantly enhances the association’s ability to address safe decarbonisation concerns and support the protection of human life, property and the marine environment.
To help deliver common technical requirements at speed, the SDP will immediately convene four project teams to work on leading decarbonisation fuels and technologies. While IACS remains technologically agnostic, extensive discussions with industry â itself a key feature and objective of the SDP â indicate that initial efforts should be focused on Ammonia, Hydrogen, Carbon Capture & Storage and Batteries. Additionally, the SDP will also evaluate current work streams at IMO on Methyl/ethyl Alcohols with a view to undertaking further work as appropriate. Other alternative fuels and technologies will be considered by the SDP subsequently.
Recognising that efforts to decarbonise need to be collaborative to be successful, the SDP has also adopted a structured consultative approach so that all stakeholders â fuel manufacturers, technology providers, owners, builders and marine insurance â have multiple and multi-layered opportunities to engage with IACS at strategic, operational and technical levels.
Such close cooperation will help focus prioritization, maximise efficiency and remove duplication and allow for the resulting outputs to be properly targeted either in the form of IACS Resolutions or recommendations or submissions to IMO to support the development of detailed regulations. Collectively, this work will help encourage industry to invest in new fuels/technologies by offering a degree of reassurance that standards are being harmonized and technologies are proven against these requirements.
Commenting on this development, IACS chairman Nick Brown said âIACSâ establishment of a Safe Decarbonisation Panel allows for an over-arching view on new initiatives, whether they be related to the propulsion of the vessels or to the changing nature of the cargoes ships will carry as a result of societal efforts to decarbonize, and so marks a step-change in embedding a safety-focus into this industry-wide effort.â
On other matters, C85 strongly endorsed the progress being made by the Independent Quality Assessment Review Body (IQARB) and committed to assisting that body develop into a respected entity that can be trusted by flag States, Industry and others to provide high-level oversight of the quality systems of Class Societies and Recognised Organisations.
C85 also reviewed the suite of measures adopted by IACS to help the industry maintain business continuity in the face of the operational challenges posed by the Covid 19 pandemic and noted the effectiveness of IACSâ Covid 19 Task Force in ensuring that ships were able to safely remain in service and in compliance with Class Rules and the requirements of the international Conventions. C85 agreed, however, that the improving Covid situation now allowed for a phased withdrawal of the various exemptions noting that operational challenges still exist in certain areas.
15. EEXI guidelines
IACS has published a recommendation on EEXI implementation guidelines (Rec. No. 172). IACSâ Guidance Details Key Areas of IMO Mandatory Instrument to Aid Consistent Implementation.
The mandatory nature of IMOâs Energy Efficiency Existing Ship Index (EEXI) means it has a significant role to play in ensuring that the industry remains on track to meet GHG reduction targets.
In addition to its work at IMO, IACS Recommendation No. 172 (Rec.172) has been developed to support the global and consistent implementation of the newly developed EEXI IMO framework by providing additional advice and guidance on certain elements of the regulatory text where cross-industry discussions had identified technical implementation nuances associated with the EEXI framework.
Specific issues identified as needing further elaboration in Rec.172 include: the approval of the EEXI Technical File; non-overridable power limitation; EEXI calculation methodology for LNG Carriers; ship type applicability; appropriate Specific Fuel Consumption (SFC) values, and; the uniform performing & validating of numerical calculations of the EEXI reference speed (Vref).
With the amendments to MARPOL Annex VI incorporating mandatory EEXI becoming effective on 1 November 2022 and taking effect at the shipboard level on 1 January 2023, it remains vitally important for IACS to provide and maintain clarity and to allow relevant stakeholders to benefit from a common approach amongst IACS Members in the calculation of a shipâs EEXI.
IACS Secretary General, Robert Ashdown, said âIACS is in a unique position to assist industry in complying with complex decarbonisation regulations by providing technical guidance that can help to maintain clarity while also enabling the practical and consistent application of this index on a global scale.â
Rec.172 is just the latest expression of IACSâ ongoing commitment to supporting industry in meeting IMOâs greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets and IACS will continue to actively participate in the revision or upgrade of EEXI and Carbon Intensity Index requirements.
Notices & Miscellany
Grimaldi appointment
The board of the International Chamber of Shipping, representing 80% of the worldâs merchant fleet, has appointed Emanuele Grimaldi, president and managing director of Grimaldi Euromed, as chairman.
Grimaldi, a former president of both Confitarma and European Community Shipowners Association (ECSA), was formally voted in as chairman by the ICS Board of Directors, following the announcement of his nomination last year. Alongside ICS Secretary General, Guy Platten, his mandate will include working to find private and public solutions to a range of issues facing the sector, including decarbonisation, digitisation, diversity, and crew change.
He succeeds Esben Poulsson, executive chairman of ENESEL, who has served as ICS chairman since 2016, and who steps down after serving three terms of office.
New Florida law firm
Michelle Otero ValdĂŠs has opened her new maritime law firm as of May 31, 2022. She is Board Certified in Admiralty and Maritime Law by The Florida Bar and will be based at 2030 S. Douglas Road, Suite 117, Coral Gables, Florida 33134
Tel:Â + 1 305 377 3700. Mob: + 1 305 978 8345. Fax: + 1 866 702 4577
Email: mov@miamimaritimelaw.co
Webite: http://www.michelleoterovaldes.com/
Please notify the Editor of your appointments, promotions, new office openings and other important happenings: contactus@themaritimeadvocate.com
And finally,
(With thanks to Paul Dixon)
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Who decided “Hotpoint” would be a good name for a company that sells refrigerators?
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