Page 5 - INTERCARGO - Annual Report 2022

ANNUAL REVIEW
Top of the agenda
remains the continued
lack of universal
recognition of seafarers
as key workers
Message from the
Chairman
We have seen a perfect storm of events over
the risks faced by crews operating in our sector.
the last few years. Following the turbulence of Casualty Report which continues to highlight
the pandemic, our industry now finds itself deal- Liquefaction is still the greatest contributor to
loss of life in the bulk sector, and our reporting
ing with the situation in Ukraine, the legacy of
COVID and of course the incorporation of IMO’s
processes that contribute to loss of life.
greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets into enables us to continually challenge the flawed
everyday ship operations.
Since the outbreak of the pandemic our Associ-
The future is of course far from certain. But one ation has worked tirelessly to support members
certainty we do have is that reducing emissions and their crews. I think all of us in the industry
is, and will continue to be, the single most im- – indeed the world at large - felt that we were
portant global issue we face. fighting fires and facing the unknown, but it has
left a legacy for the future of shipping. The work
The shipping industry has already made signifi-
that we carried out in lobbying governments and
cant progress in emissions reduction in the last
highlighting the plight of the 350,000 seafarers
10 years and is striving to achieve IMO’s ambi-
on bulk carriers through the crew change crisis
tious targets which may soon aim for zero emis-
has helped raise the profile of the seafarer, both
sion shipping by 2050.
with legislators and the general public.
Environmental excellence requires collabora-
Our aim is that in the future we will see the
tion. If we are to see a future of zero emission
world’s seafarers recognised as key workers,
shipping, responsibility cannot be placed sole-
and that we will never again see crews at the
ly on the shoulders of shipowners.
centre of a global humanitarian crisis.
The responsibilities of dry cargo charterers,
We welcomed the Black Sea grain initiative and
shippers, receivers, ports and terminals must
the processes that lead to its delivery. Sadly, it is
not be underestimated.
all too likely that such necessary cooperation in
Against this backdrop, INTERCARGO contin- response to global unrest will also be a feature
ues to address the key issues that the dry bulk of shipping’s future.
industry has always faced. Our working groups
To conclude on a positive note, we are pleased
deal with the ship design, safety, security, envi-
to see that our endeavours to improve safety
ronmental and regulatory challenges that we as
at sea are bearing fruit. In our 2022 Bulk Carri-
sector representatives must take a lead on.
er Casualty Report, INTERCARGO was able to
We have been pleased to see in our 2022 report good news, with statistics of ship losses
Benchmarking Bulk Carriers report that over and consequential seafarer fatalities suggesting
the past year our INTERCARGO members have that the safety performance of the bulk carrier
out-performed the industry both in terms of defi- industry is showing a strong and clear trend of
ciencies and detentions, with non-members re- improvement.
porting more than a third more detentions.
When looking to the future it is essential to learn
We are also committed to delivery of our annual from the lessons of the past.
Dimitrios J. Fafalios
Chairman
September 2022
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