Carbon emissions, safety and cyber security were at the top of the agenda at last month’s meeting of the Tripartite Shipbuilding Forum, which attracted over 100 delegates and was hosted by the China Classification Society in Nantong, China.
The shipbuilding industry needs to design ships differently and be more technologically innovative to reach world climate goals and counter cyber security risks, attendees at the annual Tripartite Shipbuilding Forum agreed after two days of discussion, forum organizers said this week.
For over 16 years, Tripartite has provided an opportunity for representative associations of shipowners, classification societies and shipyards to discuss contemporary issues related to design, construction and operation of new and future ships.
At the latest meeting, which attracted over 100 delegates and was hosted last month by the China Classification Society in Nantong, China, carbon emissions, safety and cyber security were at the top of the agenda.
This year’s themes were decarbonization of ships, safe design and digitalization, issues that are interlinked, as they’re all relevant to creating a more efficient seaborne transport system.
Participants were said to have reached several general conclusions on ship design and technology during the gathering, including that the shipping industry needs new ship designs, equipment, propulsion systems and alternative fuels to achieve the CO2 reduction goals established by the Paris Agreement on climate change, and the specific objectives to be established for international shipping by the International Maritime Organization as part of its greenhouse gases reduction strategy.
Attendees were said to have agreed that the shipping industry needs to use available technology to a greater extent, and increase technological innovation to reduce CO2 emissions to the ambitious degree required by the international community.
As part of that effort, Tripartite forum established inter-industry working groups with the aim of developing a better understanding of current research and development efforts for new technologies needed by the shipping sector to realize its vision for zero CO2 emissions this century.
Also part of the meeting’s agenda was the importance of the safety of seafarers and the ships which they operate.
Concerns were expressed, according to the China Classification Society, that new regulations governing ship designs aimed at further reducing CO2 emissions could potentially have adverse effects on the safe operation of ships, with one example used being legal requirements that led to a further reduction of engine power.
The concern is that ships could get into problems during bad weather if the engine is insufficiently powered, putting both the crew and the environment at serious risk.
Meeting participants were said to have agreed that the safety of life at sea must always remain paramount.
Regarding the designing of cyber resilient ships, recent cyberattacks have increased awareness of potential threats facing the industry.
It was generally agreed during the meeting that when it comes to ship design and construction, the industry needs to adopt new methods and standards to create more resilient digital systems on board.
“A more layered approach to a ship’s digital system and greater segregation can increase safety, so that a single attack cannot readily spread to IT and other systems both on board the ship and ashore,” according to a joint statement by members of attending organizations, including the Baltic and International Maritime Council (BIMCO), the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), the International Association of Independent Tanker Owners (INTERTANKO), the Oil Companies International Marine Forum (OCIMF), the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS), the Active Shipbuilding Experts’ Federation (ASEF) and the European Ships and Maritime Equipment Association, known as SEAEurope.
The Tripartite forum agreed that in advance of its next meeting in 2018, the industry partners represented are to work together to develop new design standards, which will help raise the resilience of ships’ digital systems and make them more resistant to possible cyber-attacks.
“The Tripartite participants hope that the general understandings reached at its meeting will send an important signal to all industry stakeholders about the vital role that everyone must play to deliver the continuous improvement of shipping’s environmental performance now demanded by global society,” the participating organizations said in a statement.
Organizers say this year’s issues will be worked on over the coming year and form input to next year’s Tripartite meeting, which is planned for the Autumn of 2018 in South Korea.
Shipbuilder forum: Industry needs different vessel designs, more innovation
