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The 50th anniversary conference of NI focuses primarily on people and the environment

The 50th anniversary conference of NI focuses primarily on people and the environment

NI 50th Anniversary Conference focuses on people and the environment

At a special conference marking the 50th anniversary The Nautical Institute (NI), decarbonisation, autonomous shipping, and criminalisation of seafarers were all topics of discussion.

The Maritime Leadership in a Changing World conference took place in the appropriate surroundings at HQS Wellington in London. Delegates heard about the latest developments in today’s road to full autonomy and the importance of balancing the role of the shipwright and autonomy.

The conference was opened by Jillian Carson-Jackson, President of the NI. Martin Taylor, CEO at OneOcean, and John Lloyd, CEO, of the NI gave addresses.

Nicholas Bourque, OneOcean’s Chief Strategy Officer, and Jeremy Daoust (Director of Product Planning at OneOcean), discussed the operational impact of decarbonising shipping. They said that a large portion of the work to reduce greenhouse gasses could be done without any hardware changes. They described it as a multi-dimensional problem and said that industry cannot just throw decarbonising in the mix and hope for the best.

To address the issue of MASS (Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships) Technology and what to look forward to on the road towards full autonomy, Dr Esm Flagg, MASS & Future Fuels Policy Lead, Maritime & Coastguard Agency, stated that regulation was not in sync with technology but that there was a desire within the industry for some regulatory action. Regulation lags behind technology,” he said.

Although there were no explicit prohibitions in the Merchant Shipping Act, they were vague in nature. Delegates were informed that the IMO Maritime Safety Committee was responsible for developing a code or instrument based on MASS.

Ross Millar, Loss Prevention Associate from Steamship Mutual, spoke out about the importance of Navigating Officers and Autonomy. He stated that although shipping has worked without such advanced systems in past, autonomy is now a reality. Its success in other industries encouraged shipping to use technological solutions in maritime with multiple goals, including a decrease in accidents and associated claims rates.

It was important to remember, he said, that leadership comes from competent, experienced maritimers and not autonomous systems. It is the courage, leadership, and actions of seafarers who can make a difference in a marine casualty. Leadership is a great human virtue that autonomy can’t duplicate. It gives crews the ability to handle incidents onboard and use their experience and knowledge to shape the events that eventually unfold. Technology and crew are dependent on each other. He explained to delegates that they form a partnership that should be capable of weathering any storm they encounter.

Colin Leggat, Risk Assessor at UK P&I Club, and Mike Yarwood (Managing Director, Loss Prevention, at the TT Club), spoke to delegates about Criminalization in Shipping and why it was occurring. The UNCLOS stipulates that if a ship or seafarer is involved with an accident or incident that results in pollution, the affected state must not arrest the seafarer, unless the damage was caused intentionally.

They stated that only monetary penalties may be imposed for violations of national laws or international standards and rules for the prevention, control, and reduction of marine pollution, committed by foreign vessels in territorial sea.
Source: Nautical Institution

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