(NEWS) WMU Hosts MARPOL Seminar Focused on Maritime Decarbonization

September

2023

WMU Hosts MARPOL Seminar Focused on Maritime Decarbonization

From 30 to 31 August, the World Maritime University (WMU) hosted an international seminar on the role of green technologies and capacity building in maritime decarbonization. The seminar, “MARPOL at 50 – our commitment goes on: Maritime Decarbonization,“ was organized as part of the Horizon Europe SEANERGY project and aligned with the 2023 World Maritime Day theme “MARPOL at 50 – our commitment goes on.” Participants included representatives from the European Commission, the International Maritime Organization, stakeholders, policy makers and academics from ports and shipping.

WMU President, Professor Max Mejia, welcomed the participants, noting that the maritime industry stands at the cusp of the greatest technical, economic and operational challenges in its modern history. “The maritime decarbonization transition will require unprecedented transformations, adaptations, and changes in the way the industry works as well as the adoption of novel technical innovations. It will no doubt see ports take a central role as energy hubs in this transition,” he said.

COP26, the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference that was held in Glasgow in 2021, set a clear mandate for reducing worldwide greenhouse gas emissions and moving away from the unabated use of fossil fuels. It also underlined the need for global capacity building and collaboration in technological development and implementation to ensure that this global challenge can be addressed. The WMU two-day seminar focused on green technologies and ways of promoting global collaboration and capacity building in maritime decarbonization. A regional Baltic & North Sea workshop took place on day two as part of the SEANERGY project activities to collect feedback from relevant port cluster stakeholders to guide EU ports and policy making towards the decarbonization of the shipping sector. Roundtables also provided opportunities to discuss technologies, business models, and legislation aimed at decarbonizing the port sector.

Delivery of the “MARPOL at 50 – our commitment goes on: Maritime Decarbonization“ seminar supports WMU’s commitment to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goal 4 focused on inclusive and equitable quality education for all, Goal 7 focused on ensuring access to renewable energy, Goal 9 focused on building resilient infrastructure, promoting inclusive and sustainable industrialization and fostering innovation, and Goal 13 focused on climate actions to combat climate change.

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