Business

WISTA: ‘Education and awareness’ key towards narrowing gender gap in bunkering, shipping and trading sectors

‘Bunker barges operate in very local areas so these vessels call at port very often which means it will be a good fit for women with families,’ states Elpi Petraki, President of WISTA International.

Published

9 months ago

March 14, 2023

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Minimising the existing gender gap in the bunkering, maritime, trading and logistics sectors can be made possible through education and awareness, believes the President of Women's International Shipping & Trading Association (WISTA).

“There is already a challenge of attracting talent into the maritime industry and we need to educate young people in schools on shipping industries,” Elpi Petraki told bunkering publication Manifold Times during an interview in London.

“Parents want their kids to be working in high paying jobs and the shipping industry also offers this possibility.

“You can be a maritime lawyer or a doctor or engineer supporting crew on board ships out at sea; these are also well-paying jobs which can be very interesting with the added benefit of travel around the world.

“The younger generation don’t see the gender gap we currently see so we must build on this to give opportunities for everybody.

“We have to talk outside the industry by heading to a wider audience including the mothers and fathers through raising awareness.”

A survey ‘Women in Maritime Survey 2021’ conducted between WISTA and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) highlighted the share of women on company boards within shipping’s subsectors – including the bunkering sector.

“We know there are several women especially in later times in their careers employed within the bunkering sector where they form part of the management,” Petraki pointed out.

“However, we would like to see more ladies operating with the marine refuelling sector especially on [bunker] barges where it is currently almost non-existent,” she stated.

Petraki, who is also the Second Vice President of the Hellenic Short Sea Shipowners Association and Operations, Chartering & Business Development Manager of her family shipowner business ENEA Management, stressed working on bunker barges should firstly be safe for everybody.

“If it is dangerous for everybody why should it be a different danger for women or for men?,” she questioned.

“In fact, the introduction of technology on bunker barges/tankers means less manual labour is now required from its crew thereby benefitting ladies.

“Further, bunker barges operate in very local areas so these vessels call at port very often which means it will be a good fit for women with families.

“This is also the reason why coastal shipping, where vessels ply between regular routes, is also more attractive to ladies especially in Europe.

“The more women we have involved in shipping the more equal and diverse it can be.”

The ‘Women in Maritime Survey 2021’ launched on the first IMO International Day for Women in Maritime (18 May, 2021), was the first time real figures of gender diversity were collected for the shipping industry, noted Petraki.

“Before that, there were no real numbers for women working in the maritime sector,” she revealed.

“Data demonstrated women accounting for only 29% of the overall workforce in the general industry and 20% of the workforce of national maritime authorities in IMO Member States.

“It showed women being involved in many sectors of the shipping industry; especially working within ship owning companies and the legal sectors while contributing to the environmental sensitive side (i.e. ESG) of the maritime business.”

“At WISTA, we aim to empower women to have better possibilities for growing their career through progressing into senior positions of every field of shipping and logistics,” shared Petraki.

“We want to do that by changing behaviours and educating people through continuous learning and acquisition of leadership skills.

“We have presence in 56 countries around the world with a growing membership of 4,000 people comprising not only women but also men as well.

“Shipping is widely known to be a very male dominated industry. To level the field and bring much-needed diversity to the sector, we want to attract women and support them to cover more managerial and board level positions.”

Note: The full 20-page Women in Maritime Survey 2021 is available for download through the WISTA website here.

Photo credit: WISTA, Women in Maritime Survey 2021
Published: 14 March, 2023

Vessel Arrest

Malaysia: MMEA detains tanker for illegal anchoring in East Johor waters

Panama-registered vessel was operated by 17 crew members, aged between 21 to 58 years, from Pakistan, India and Bangladesh.

Published

22 hours ago

November 29, 2023

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Malaysia: MMEA detains tanker for illegal anchoring in East Johor waters

The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) on Tuesday (28 November) said a Panama-registered tanker has been detained for illegally anchoring in East Johor waters on 27 November.

MMEA Tanjung Sedili Zone acting director Maritime Cmdr Mohd Najib Sam said the tanker was detained by a patrol boat at 11am at 15.8 nautical miles northeast of Tanjung Penawar.

The captain of the vessel failed to produce any documents that permission had been obtained to anchor in Malaysian waters.

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The vessel was operated by 17 crew members, aged between 21 to 58 years, from Pakistan, India and Bangladesh.

The case will be investigated under Section 491B(1)(L) of the Merchant Shipping Ordinance 1952 for anchoring without permission. If found guilty, individuals may be fined not exceeding MYR 100,000 or face an imprisonment term of not more than two years, or both.

Manifold Times previously reported law firm Oon & Bazul LLP sharing on steps shipowners should keep in mind before anchoring and conducting STS operations in Malaysian waters to avoid detention.

Photo credit: Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency
Published: 29 November, 2023

Alternative Fuels

DNV paper outlines bunkering of alternative marine fuels for boxships

Third edition of its paper series focuses on LNG, methanol and ammonia as alternative bunker fuel options for containerships; explores bunkering aspects for LNG and methanol.

Published

22 hours ago

November 29, 2023

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DNV paper outlines bunkering of alternative marine fuels for boxships

Classification society DNV recently released the third edition of its paper series Alternative fuels for containerships, focused on LNG, methanol and ammonia as alternative bunker fuel options for containerships.

In its updated paper series, DNV examined the different alternative marine fuel options and provided an overview of the most important technical and commercial considerations for the containership sector.

It explored the bunkering technology for LNG, bunkering infrastructure for methanol, and availability and infrastructure of ammonia.

Building on the foundation laid in the second edition, which focused on the most important aspects of methanol as a fuel, this latest third edition delves deeper – exploring the technical intricacies and commercial considerations associated with adopting methanol as an alternative fuel for containerships.

Furthermore, it provides an overview of crucial aspects related to ammonia and discusses its potential as an alternative fuel for containerships.

Amongst others, the new edition of the paper looks at the following aspects:

Technical design considerations for methanol
Commercial implications of adopting methanol as an alternative fuel
Ammonia's potential as an alternative fuel
Availability, infrastructure and ship fuel technology for ammonia
Major updates based on the latest IMO GHG strategy decisions at the MEPC 80 meeting

Note: The third edition of DNV’s full paper titled Alternative Fuels for Containerships can be found here.

Photo credit: DNV
Published: 29 November, 2023

Alternative Fuels

EDF, LR and Arup launch tool scoring ports’ potential to produce and bunker electrofuels

Tool is also applied to three different port scenarios, including ports exploring fuel production and bunkering, ports exploring fuel exports, and ports exploring fuel imports and bunkering.

Published

22 hours ago

November 29, 2023

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EDF, LR and Arup launch tool scoring ports’ potential to produce and bunker electrofuels

Lloyd’s Register (LR) Maritime Decarbonisation Hub and Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), in collaboration with Arup, on Tuesday (28 November) introduced the Sustainable First Movers Initiative Identification Tool, a system to help shipping stakeholders align investment decisions that support the maritime energy transition away from fossil fuels.

The tool, which is presented in a preliminary findings report – The Potential of Ports in Developing Sustainable First Movers Initiatives – scores a port’s potential to produce and bunker electrofuels while delivering local environmental and community benefits in alignment with the global temperature target of 1.5 degrees Celsius set by the Paris Agreement.

“Ports can play an important role in kickstarting shipping’s decarbonisation process even before global policies are established,” said Marie Cabbia Hubatova, Director, Global Shipping at Environmental Defense Fund.

“By considering the impact sustainable first mover initiatives can have on port-side communities, climate, environment and economies, resources can be better directed to locations where these initiatives will make the biggest difference.”

With close to two billion people living near coastal zones globally, the role of, and impacts on local port communities must be intentionally considered as the sector decarbonises globally. Ports can play a crucial role in ensuring shipping decarbonisation efforts are done in a way that has positive impacts on port communities.

The preliminary phase of the Sustainable First Movers Initiative Identification Tool analyses 108 ports in the Indo-Pacific region according to five criteria including land suitability, air quality, renewable energy surplus, economic resilience and ship traffic.

It is also applied to three different port scenarios, including ports exploring fuel production and bunkering, ports exploring fuel exports, and ports exploring fuel imports and bunkering. The combined criteria and scenario evaluation determines which ports have the greatest potential (high potential) for sustainable first mover initiatives to lead to significant emissions reductions and positive impacts in nearby communities, such as improved air quality and economic resilience.

“The transition to clean energy supply for shipping can be achieved only if stakeholders act together. Identifying potential port locations is the first step in this process,” said Dr Carlo Raucci, Consultant at Lloyd’s Register Maritime Decarbonisation Hub. “This approach sets the base for a regional sustainable transition that considers the impacts on port-side communities and the need to avoid regions in the Global South lagging behind.”

Regions in the Global South are fundamental in driving the decarbonisation of shipping. To make this transition effective, the rate at which different countries adopt and scale up electrofuels must be proportional to the difference in capital resources globally to avoid additional costs being passed on to local communities. Sustainable first mover initiatives can play an important role in making this happen by ensuring the sector’s decarbonisation is inclusive of all regions and by engaging all shipping stakeholders, including port-side communities.

“There’s a huge opportunity for early adopter shipping decarbonisation initiatives to unlock benefits for people and planet – shaping the way for a more equitable transition in the 2030s,” said Mark Button, Associate, Arup. “Our collective approach shows that taking a holistic view of shipping traffic, fuel production potential and port communities could help prioritise action at ports with the greatest near-term potential.”

The tool can be customised according to stakeholders’ needs and goals and is dependent on scenario desirability. The next phase of this work will include the selection and detailed assessment of 10 ports to help better understand local needs and maximise the value offered by sustainable first mover initiatives.

LR and EDF carried out a joint study on ammonia as shipping fuel, and LR and Arup have collaborated on The Resilience Shift study focused on fuel demand for early adopters in green corridors, ports, and energy systems, amongst many other projects.

Photo credit: Lloyd’s Register
Published: 29 November, 2023