Plenty more to do to develop green shipping

The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) is a special United Nations agency responsible for the safety and security of shipping and the prevention of marine pollution by ships.

MALAYSIA still has a lot to do to develop green shipping and the country should work together with its neighbours if it wants to be one of the leading green shipping hubs in Southeast Asia.

Alfa Laval Aalborg Pte Ltd (Singapore) managing director Jeroen van Riel said Malaysia has become more green-conscious since it adopted IMO treaty in ballast water treatment two years ago.

"I think together with Singapore, there is a lot of room for improvement," he told Business Times in Singapore recently.

Green shipping is the current trend in the global maritime industry, where players take steps to save costs and preserve the environment.

From the suppliers' point of view, van Riel said they see how they can change their products to be more efficient and assist with the reduction of emissions.

Meanwhile, Danish Marine Group business sector manager Mark Lerche also observed the green-conscious tendency within Malaysia's maritime industry.

He said Singapore is one of the main green shipping hubs as the island-state is a commercial and operational centre for the region.

Thus, Malaysia can work hand in hand with Singapore in order to become a leading hub for green shipping as well.

Green shipping, Lerche said, looks more at the lifetime of the vessel industry. It takes into consideration not only a vessel coming out of a shipyard but also the actual cost of the lifetime of the vessel.

This includes the operation cost after the vessel has been made and how it is going to be scrapped afterwards.

"I think green shipping is a question of responsibility ... It is a more holistic way of doing things and having the guts to actually think ahead," he said.

Green shipping adopts energy-efficient ship designs and daily operations that reduce fuel consumption and carbon-dioxide emissions, he said.

"The best way to get things done is to have a dialogue between the stakeholders, authorities, shipowners, suppliers, shipyards, and customers who never think about green shipping," Lerche said.