BIMCO study urges tighter shipping regs
A Baltic and International Maritime Council (BIMCO) study has called for tighter regulation of shipping on a global basis that will take practical and pragmatic steps to enhance the environment.
BIMCO, an NGO trade association of shipowners, managers, brokers, agents and other stakeholders, forecasts in its study four per cent GDP growth worldwide – similar to that of 2011- but warns about the significant oversupply in shipping tonnage in all three main sectors, and concludes there is no short-term comfort discernible, recommending the traditional remedies of idling and recycling to control this tonnage glut. The report also predicts the container sector will face a challenging year with another 50 per cent increase in the number of very large containerships entering service.
In the report BIMCO is urging that important international conventions are ratified and that regional alternatives be rejected. The report also focuses on the further development of the Energy Efficiency Design Index for new ships built after January 1, 2013, this being seen by as the industry body as a significant key to international progress on atmospheric emissions. It also hopes to see movement on the important Ballast Management and Recycling Conventions in the coming year.
According to the study, the New Year will see BIMCO addressing political leaders directly, calling for a new approach and emphasizing the significant threat to world trade represented by piracy on such a scale.
