Under the guidance of the United Nations International Maritime Organization (IMO), Shanghai Maritime University (SMU) and the Maritime Technology Cooperation Center for Asia (MTCC Asia) successfully held the International Conference Exhibition on Maritime Technology for Climate Mitigation from July 11 to 13, with more than 230 representatives from Britain, the United States, Japan, Denmark, Germany, France, Singapore, South Korea, Norway and other countries participating. The conference closely follows the hot spots of the industry and creatively uses three-dimensional virtual technology to display shipping energy-saving technology, which attracted extensive attention of the international shipping industry. IMO made a special report on the conference on its official website.
Mr. Song Baoru, Chairman of the University Council, pointed out the trend and urgency of the development of global green and low-carbon shipping in his speech. He said that the conference aims to contribute Shanghai’s wisdom and strength to the development of global green and low-carbon shipping. MTCC Asia, hosted by SMU, has completed a series of meaningful work in the sharing of green and low-carbon maritime technology achievements. SMU is willing to work with the international shipping community to build a bright future for a low-carbon society.
Mr. Hideaki Saito, Director of the Marine Environmental Protection Committee (MEPC) of IMO, said that energy efficiency is key to transforming the shipping sector and contributing to the fight against climate change. He introduced a series of resolutions and regulations recently adopted by IMO on ship pollution prevention, ship fuel consumption, and greenhouse gas emission reduction. Mr. Anton Rhodes, Project Manager of IMO Department for Partnerships and Porjects, briefly introduced the Global Maritime Technology Cooperation Network (GMN) project and highly praised SMU and the MTCC Asia for the efforts in promoting the implementation of energy efficiency initiatives in Asia.
Mr. Andreas Nordseth, Director General of Danish Maritime Authority, Mr. Ki-chan Nam, President of Busan Port Authority, Mr. Jacques Vandermeiren, CEO of Port of Antwerp and other representatives from the industry introduced the policies and practices in green and sustainable shipping respectively.
More than 20 exhibitors, including world-leading shipping companies, ports, technology providers and research institutes showcased their best practices and practical solutions at the event. A virtual 3D exhibition can be freely accessed online at http://www.mtccasia.com/confex2021/ .The virtual exhibit will be kept as permanent feature on the MTCC Asia website and will be expanded over time.
Conference participants from across the shipping industry were able to share their views and experiences to identify opportunities for climate mitigation solutions as they looked into technological considerations for decarbonizing the maritime sector such as alternative fuels, maritime informatics, electrification and wind propulsion.
