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The Singapore Shipping Association (SSA) has reaffirmed its stand that the shipping industry has an important role to play in reducing marine and air pollution.

In an official statement, the SSA commented that great strides had been taken by the shipping industry to reduce pollution but stressed that it "cannot afford to be complacent and must continue to work hard to protect our environment.”

SSA Present, S.S. Teo said, “The shipping industry is a highly regulated industry, not only in terms of safety and manning but also in terms of marine and air pollution. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has, over the years, promulgated a number of new rules and regulations to ensure that the shipping industry achieves the highest possible standards in every aspect of ship operations.”

He added, “As a result, the safety and environmental track records of the maritime industry have improved significantly over the past decade. I trust these improvements will speak for themselves.”

Increased worldwide concern about atmospheric pollution and global warming lead to the IMO establishing a Protocol to the IMO International Convention for the Prevention of Marine Pollution from Ships (MARPOL Annex VI). The Protocol entered into force in 2005, tasked to reduce air pollution from ship exhausts and to prohibit the deliberate emission of ozone-depleting substances. Deliberations on revisions to Annex VI to further reduce air pollution from ships have already begun at the IMO.

In April this year, the 57th Session of the IMO Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 57) reached a global agreement on reducing sulphur emissions from ships. The SSA expressed its support for this IMO decision. It also welcomed the goal-based approach adopted by the IMO in reducing sulphur emissions and was pleased to note a strengthened “alternative compliance” provision made available to shipowners to comply with more stringent standards of sulphur content in ship’s fuels.

The Association also mentioned that it was essential to consider measures in reducing the emission of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide from ships.

The SSA said that it stood by the statement issued by the Safe Navigation & Environment Committee (SNEC) of the Asian Shipowners’ Forum, which held its last meeting in Boao, Hainan, China on 2nd – 3rd June. Here the committee expressed its concern over recent media reports suggesting that carbon emissions by ships have been significantly underestimated and that shipping’s impact on global warming may be substantially greater than aviation.

In its statement, the SSA said that it supported the SNEC’s comments that shipping is by far the most efficient and carbon-friendly form of commercial transportation based in terms of the amount of CO2 emitted per ton of goods carried per mile.

The SSA also stressed, however, that the shipping industry must continue to do its part to eliminate pollution.

Goh Teik Poh, Chairman of the SSA Technical Committee added that, “We welcome the IMO’s goal-based approach to reducing sulphur oxide emissions, and we urge the IMO to adopt similarly holistic, goal-based approaches to any future environmental legislation. SSA is committed to raising environmental awareness amongst our members, but any measures must be the result of reasoned and careful research.”

Mr. Teo concluded, “We cannot take this matter too lightly especially in light of the increasing prominence of climate change as a public policy issue. Management of these issues will be an increasingly critical factor in defining the industry’s public profile.”

The Association said that it pledged its support for continued research and development into ways of reducing pollution.

In addition to adopting standard operating procedures that improve efficiency such as better ship-handling techniques, setting of optimum travelling speeds to reduce emissions (“slow steaming”), taking advantage of weather satellites to plot the most efficient routes and finding methods to reduce onboard power usage, the SSA said the industry will also be making full use of new technologies such as improved fuel filters, advances in hull and engine design and developments of alternative fuel sources to reduce pollution.