On July 11 2019, together with Shanghai Maritime University (SMU), MTCC-Asia, funded by the European Union (EU) and implemented by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), successfully held the 2nd Global Forum on Green Shipping in Shanghai. Nearly 100 delegates from all over the world gathered in Shanghai in addressing the challenges and strategies of the shipping industry in terms of climate change. The forum is part of Shanghai’s celebration activities of China Maritime Day, which aims to contribute to the common goal of the Green Ocean by promoting the cooperation and exchanges among countries.

Mr. Song Baoru, the Chairman of the Council of SMU, said in his welcome speech that SMU has been long-time committed to building a high-quality shipping talents in service of the national strategy of marine power and shipping power. The MTCC-Asia, hosted by SMU, aims to develop and promote energy-saving and emission-reduction technologies and operations for ships under the guidance of the IMO, in the pursuit to help the developing and less developed countries and regions to frame out shipping policies and capacity building, which will ultimately strengthen the coordinated development of global maritime technologies and standards.

In his keynote address, Mr. Christopher Charles Trelawny, Chief, Sub-Division for Maritime Development of the Technical Cooperation Division of the IMO, said that greenhouse gas emissions and reducing Sulphur from ship fuels have become priorities for the IMO in recent years in light of the UN Sustainable Development Plan 2030. China is one of the most influential member states of the IMO and has made a positive contribution to IMO’s work in environmental protection correspondingly. With the strong support of the Shanghai Municipal Government, the MTCC-Asia has made outstanding innovations in ship energy-saving technology and operations, and is playing a leading role in this regard.

Mr. Zhang Lin, Deputy Director-General of the Shanghai Municipal Transportation Commission, reviewed the achievements Shanghai has made in energy-saving, including the emission control zone for the Yangtze River Delta, the launch and practice of a new round of Shanghai port shore power construction program, the promotion and application of new energy such as LNG in port and shipping, and the completion and operation of the fully automated container terminal of the Yangshan Port (Phase IV). He said Shanghai will actively promote maritime technological progress, environmental technology innovation and service upgrading, and make bigger efforts to build the green ports, contributing to the global shipping industry in view of the green future.

Mr. Jin Yongxing, Director of MTCC-Asia, introduced the important achievements under the guidance of the IMO, saying that the Center will strive to become a first-class international maritime functional institution and make greater contributions to the national strategy.

Mr. Wu Hongbing, Deputy Director-General of the Shanghai Maritime Safety Administration, briefed a series of newly taken measures, as the Authority for maritime affairs, on waterborne traffic safety and ship pollution prevention and control.

The forum was chaired by Mr. Shi Xin, Vice President of SMU and Executive Director of MTCC-Asia.

Subsequently, as an important component of the Forum, Takeshi Nakazawa, Executive Director of the International Association of Maritime Universities (IAMU), chaired a round-table technical session, themed with “New rules, new technologies, new management, and the continued promotion of global green shipping”. During the round-table discussion, representatives of China COSCO Shipping Group Co., Ltd., Bernhard Schulte Ship Management Group, Wartsila Company, Shanghai MSA, SMU and MTCC-Asia discussed the current situation, problems and countermeasures of energy conservation and emission reduction in the maritime industry.

It is learned by the journalist that shipping industry, deemed essentially important by the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Plan, will prioritize the future ship and ports energy conservation and emission reduction. Over the past two years, the MTCC-Asia has undertaken a series of maritime technology and operation transfer and capacity-building activities Asian countries, setting up branch offices in Cambodia and Myanmar with heightened coordination and influence in IMO’s Member States within Asian region. Under the IMO’s guidance, the MTCC-Asia is emerging as an epicenter for excellent technology and talent, leading the way in promotion of ship energy efficiency technologies and operations and ship emissions mitigation in Asia.