“Green” Rules” in Shipping Industry Universe

The merchant shipping industry now is constantly developing with its variety of cargo ships (general cargo, containers, crude oil, and gas carriers), cruise industry, offshore fleet, worth mentioning fishing ships with floating factories, and research vessel fleet. The most unique and diverse is the yachting industry, as a separate standalone industry worth speaking about. During past years, especially during the pandemic, the yachting industry demonstrated extreme resistance and kept growing non-stop. The crucial point to talk about is the importance of biofuels that help to reduce the carbon footprint of transportation and other industries by making the most of our planet’s carbon cycle. Every gallon of biofuel that replaces a gallon of fossil fuel helps to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions. As the world drives away from fossil fuels and towards a more sustainable future, yachting faces the largest change in its history – the need to move away from diesel.

The IMO (International Maritime Organization) Initial GHG (Greenhouse Gas Emissions) Strategy set out ambitions to reduce CO2 emissions across international shipping by at least 40% by 2030 compared to 2008 and was pursuing 70% by 2050. It also outlined that total annual GHG emissions from international shipping should be reduced by at least 50% by 2050 compared to 2008.

For twenty years at sea on all types of ships such as cargo, offshore, cruise, yachts, and research vessels in all technical positions, I was serving as Cadet, Apprentice, 4th Engineer, 3rd Engineer, Environmental Engineer, 2nd Engineer, First Engineer, Chief Engineer, and Technical Superintendent. From managing a team of 200+ people (in the Engine Department) to self-management. I visited the Arctic and Antarctic, Madagascar and Patagonia, Greenland and Iceland, South and North America, Europe and India, Australia, and the UK, crossed all oceans, and made many, many trips around the globe. Life at sea is full of romance and not letting you out so easily as the chance to meet so many different people with religions, history, and traditions, as well as knowledge and experience while you are traveling and visiting the most exotic, remote, and amazing places. Life brought me another chance and possibility to begin a new start in the shipping industry, but on land, supervising the beautiful research vessel fleet around the world. It’s a great pleasure to observe the surroundings and to see how “green” the shipping industry is going.