SINGAPORE: IMO-Singapore NextGEN project aims to facilitate collaboration and information sharing across maritime decarbonization initiatives.

The IMO-Singapore NextGEN aims to build partnerships between stakeholders in the public and private sectors, not only in the shipping industry and ports but also private and development banks, and academia.

The NextGEN project, which aims to bring together decarbonization initiatives in the maritime sector, has held its first meeting, bringing together multiple stakeholders from across the global shipping community and?the maritime value chain who have an interest in cutting greenhouse gas emissions from shipping and tackling climate change.

NextGEN – where GEN stands for “green and efficient navigation” – is led by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the Government of Singapore. It aims to facilitate information sharing on various decarbonization initiatives in the global shipping community and?across the maritime value chain, to?identify opportunities for collaboration and gaps.

During the NextGEN meeting, some 70 participants discussed ways to ensure that no one is left behind in the maritime decarbonization process, and brainstormed actions needed to facilitate collaboration across the maritime and energy supply chain. Participants were also informed of plans to launch a NextGEN portal in the second half of 2021, to aid discussions and share ideas, facilitating coordination between complementary initiatives.

The IMO-Singapore NextGEN aims to build partnerships between stakeholders in the public and private sectors, not only in the shipping industry and ports but also private and development banks, and academia. Among the participants in the first, inaugural NextGEN meeting were leaders from the regional Maritime Technology Cooperation Centres (MTCCs), established by IMO in 2017 under a European Union-funded project to drive forward the changes needed to reduce GHG emissions from shipping.

The NextGEN meeting was held during the Future of Shipping Conference (23 April), jointly organized by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and IMO to address both decarbonization and digitalization in the maritime sector. This is one of a number of initiatives to support the implementation of the Initial IMO Strategy on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from shipping. The Initial Strategy, adopted in 2018, calls for IMO Member States to cut GHG emissions and work towards phasing out GHG emissions from shipping entirely as soon as possible in this century.

Addressing the Conference, IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim said, “No single stakeholder can make decarbonization of shipping a reality by acting alone. This Conference and the NextGEN workshop are significant in bringing together many different stakeholders in the maritime sector to achieve a common goal.”

Mr. Lim added, “We all have a part to play in addressing challenges and pushing blue sky thinking to develop and implement solutions. To keep pace with the demands of the global economy and the expectations for sustainable growth, the maritime world needs to be in the forefront of transformational change. We need to facilitate decarbonization and enhance digitalization for safer, more environmentally friendly, and efficient shipping.”