“HOW ARE WOMEN CHANGING THE SHIPPING SECTOR FOR THE BETTER AND MAKE IT MORE SUSTAINABLE?“

Can sustainability be achieved without a sustainable shipping sector? I do not think so, and WISTA (Women’s International Shipping & Trade Association) does not think so… We are now more than 7 billion people living all over the world. The shipping of goods made in a rational globalized world can help share prosperity. But prosperity is not enough if we damage our environment, our world. That is why the shipping sector too is facing the important issue of Climate Change and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has set a global limit for sulphur in fuel oil used on board ships of 0.50% m/m (mass by mass) from 1 January 2020. In order to be sustainable, the shipping sector needs to work on diversity, inclusion and respect as well as on environmental sustainability. Why create an organization of women in the shipping world? How can WISTA help improve sustainability in the shipping sector? What are the effects of the IMO’s new regulation on Sulphur limits in fuel? Can WISTA’s work help improve conditions of women in developing countries? Despina Panayiotou Theodosiou, WISTA International President, answered to these and other questions?

• WISTA can trace its roots back to the 1970’s… While the original purpose of WISTA was to create a congenial place for women working in the shipping industry to meet, it has rapidly become a powerful voice for networking and opportunity, and an advocate for diversity, inclusion and respect.

• The shipping industry is always changing; therefore, we plan to continue building opportunities for diversity and inclusion, for professional development and skill competency moving forward. These are powerful tools which support the emergence of new ideas focused on sustainability.

• Everybody has a role to play in creating a sustainable society. And in any industry, it is all of us that have a role to play too.

• The one thing I would say to any company leader is to invest in change. No company will remain an island in this age of change and survive. This is the fourth industrial revolution, and even regulators have a hard time keeping up with change.

• …firstly the increase in fuel costs (due to the IMO’s sulphur cap on fuel) will make owners and operators take more action over fuel choices, particularly when ordering new vessels to be built. This could lead to other, more sustainable choices.

• WISTA has gained consultative status at the IMO. One of the reasons for this is that the IMO has recognised that we, as an industry-wide association representing all sectors, can offer advice and leadership in not only creating diversity (SDG 5) but ensuring that this diversity can be translated into other SDGs.

• We do need to create a more women-friendly environment on ships, and remove some of the misconceptions and those more negative traditional opinions with existing seafarers, but this is a huge opportunity for women and developing nations.
  

Question 1 | Why a network of women in the shipping sector

Question 2 | WISTA value added in the shipping sector

In which way such a network can improve efficiency and quality in the shipping sector? Can you give us some examples of past initiatives taken by WISTA?

WISTA can encourage discussion and debate about many different topics in our industry. National WISTA associations are engaging locally and regionally to create opportunities and awareness and on the international level we have many projects for promoting diversity in the industry but also the participation of women in the discussions for the important issues facing our industry. We also cooperate with a number of international bodies to raise awareness and encouragement.

Question 3 | WISTA and Climate Change

One of the main challenges for humans in the 21st century is sustainability. We must immediately reduce our “Carbon Footprint” and our “Negative Ecological Impacts” on Earth. How is WISTA contributing on such an impelling and heavy challenge?

As an association dedicated to improving and advancing the shipping and maritime industries, we work hard to create a voice for positive change. We also think about the future and how it is our responsibility to shape it in the right way. This year we gained consultative status at the International Maritime Organisation, which is committed to securing and improving safety of life and the environment in the seas and oceans. The IMO drive in 2019 is to focus on women in shipping with a series of themed events and activities. By doing so it will encourage women who are equally engaged and driven to secure a sustainable ocean industry, to become more visible, and thus make positive change.

WISTA is the largest network of women in the maritime sector. We believe that diversity brings innovation, and thus a strong future for the maritime industry. The shipping industry is always changing; therefore, we plan to continue building opportunities for diversity and inclusion, for professional development and skill competency moving forward. These are powerful tools which support the emergence of new ideas focused on sustainability.

Question 4 | Sustainability in the shipping sector

Everybody has a role to play in creating a sustainable society. And in any industry, it is all of us that have a role to play too. Regulations, particularly those aimed at business communities and based on sustainable, ethical or environmental targets, are often created because of a change in societal opinion. We are all a part of society.

Some companies already go far and beyond the minimum requirements that regulations specify. Regulations are to some people a minimum standard of performance, for them there is a clear benefit of going beyond that, and for these companies many say they now see a business case to be more sustainable, green and ethical than regulations demand.

The one thing I would say to any company leader is to invest in change. No company will remain an island in this age of change and survive. This is the fourth industrial revolution, and even regulators have a hard time in keeping up with change. And as for impelling investment, I would suggest anything that can either make the change easier, or help with the digitalisation of sustainability of the industry

“…firstly the increase in fuel costs (due to the IMO’s sulphur cap on fuel)

will make owners and operators take more action over fuel choices,

particularly when ordering new vessels to be built”

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Question 5 | WISTA and IMO’s rules

The 2020 global fuel cap was originally agreed by the member states of the IMO in 2008, a decade ago, as was a more stringent rule for so-called emission control areas, where the sulphur in fuel limit is 0.1% as of 2015. The problem with the global cap has been the uncertainty of the fuel blends (that may be more expensive than the current bunker grades) that will become available and whether all countries will allow the use of abatement technology (a technology that removes polluting sulphur oxides from the engine exhaust when using the current bunker grades).

With regards to sustainability, firstly the increase in fuel costs will make owners and operators take more action over fuel choices, particularly when ordering new vessels to be built. This could lead to other, more sustainable choices, particularly as shipping is facing additional rules in the near future over greenhouse gas emissions. In smaller vessels such as coastal ferries and cargo ships, batteries and fuel cells are becoming popular.

Question 6 | WISTA and SDGs

As I mentioned, WISTA has gained consultative status at the IMO. One of the reasons for this is that the IMO has recognised that we, as an industry wide association and representing all sectors, can offer advice and leadership in not only creating diversity (SDG 5), but ensuring that this diversity can be translated into other SDG’s.

In 2019 the IMO has decided its world maritime day theme is on women in shipping. We will be directly involved in this of course, but for us the objective is much more than creating a demand for change. From WISTA’s perspective we will be facilitating it. We already offer scholarships for young women to pursue their careers, and we actively engage with other industry associations to help them do the same.

I also believe that SDG 17 is extremely important because only with partnerships we can achieve all the others. It is not a matter of competition between the goals or how we achieve them, but it is a matter of collaboration.

Question 7 | WISTA and gender equality in African countries

Finally, some African Countries are facing the issue of human rights for women (and so gender equality). Can WISTA help them in some ways?

There has been documented evidence that empowering women in developing countries raises families’ income and with better income, they gain a better standard of living.

Now bear in mind that most seafarers come from developing countries, and there is a shortage of seafarers, which have mostly been young men.
We do need to create a more women friendly environment on ships, remove some of the misconceptions and those more negative traditional opinions with existing seafarers, but this is a huge opportunity for women and developing nations.