Groups Seek Industry Input on Green Shipping

Environmental adjustments may have economic benefits

Marine professionals' group Institute of Engineering, Science and Technology (IMarEST) and marine technology company and Colfax Fluid Handling are seeking input from the marine industry about whether shipping companies can benefit from environmental initiatives, they said in an emailed statement.

The two parties are surveying players from across the shipping sector and will hold a round-table discussion on the results.

Adding equipment or changing procedures to improve the sustainability of a company's operations is sometimes costly, IMarEST's John Barnes said, but it may also reduce operating costs.

"With fuel being the most expensive item in a ship's operating costs and the main polluter of the air, any reduction in consumption brings a financial as well as environmental benefit," he said.

"It can also be a positive in relationships with shippers who are themselves demonstrating environmental concerns."

Ben Martin, director of global marketing at Colfax Fluid Handling, said the company wants to get feedback from the industry about the "Green Agenda."

"Listening to our customers helps us respond with solutions that can make their businesses more successful," he said.

"It's exciting to think there may be opportunities to turn green initiatives into profitable activities."

The two parties are inviting industry members to take the online three-minute survey over the next four weeks, and they will follow it up with a roundtable discussion in October and then produce a white paper on the subject.

A recent Ship & Bunker "Fathom Spotlight" discussed the intersection of environmental and economic goals in ship owners' adoption of green technology, including biofuels.