SSI Launches Roadmap to a Sustainable Shipping Industry

Alastair Fischbacher, CEO, SSI, said the Roadmap was "a significant achievement."

The Sustainable Shipping Initiative (SSI) Monday launched what it calls a Roadmap, a set of key milestones and priorities which must be met in order to create a sustainable shipping industry by 2040.

"This is a significant achievement and point of real pride for the SSI and its members," said Alastair Fischbacher, CEO, SSI. 

"Our members have shown considerable commitment, as well as investing their knowledge and expertise to define a Roadmap, which...encapsulates what needs to be delivered to create a more sustainable industry," said Fischbacher,

According to a press release the roadmap was developed in line with SSI's already-released documents, Vision 2030 and Case for Action; the Roadmap provides a clear overview of what a sustainable shipping industry requires

According to the release there are six core issues:

1. Proactively contributing to the responsible governance of the oceans.
2. Earning the reputation of being a trusted and responsible partner in the communities that shipping interacts with.
3. Providing healthy, safe and secure work environments, so that people want to work in shipping, where they can enjoy rewarding careers and achieve their full potential.
4. Instilling real transparency and accountability within the industry to drive performance improvements and enable better, sustainable decision making.
5. Developing financial solutions that reward sustainable performance and enable large scale uptake of innovation, technology, design and operational efficiencies.
6. Changing to a diverse range of energy sources, using resources more efficiently, and responsibly, and dramatically reducing greenhouse gases.

The SSI Roadmap also highlights key defining factors that will be required to achieve the mile markers including regulation, governance, infrastructure, and emerging energy sources.

The Roadmap is designed as a guide for the SSI and its members, and a practical resource for companies and organizations hoping to understand their present and future challenges in achieving sustainability, according to SSI.

"Delivering the milestones in the Roadmap will take further commitment and desire by our members as well as the rest of the shipping industry," said Fischbacher.

"This is a dynamic document that will be updated and developed further with developments, and we hope that the Roadmap will be a unifying and interactive tool that will serve to drive more engagement and debate within the shipping industry."

In February of 2016 Ship & Bunker reported that moving away from heavy fuel oil will be critical for achieving sustainability by 2040.