The Maritime Just Transition Task Force has appointed the Singapore Maritime Foundation (SMF) as its first public programme partner.
The task force, founded by the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), the International Transport Workers’ Federation, and the UN Global Compact, made the announcement at an event during Singapore Maritime Week.
Established at COP26 in Glasgow, the group brings together governments, maritime workers’ unions, and the shipping industry to pursue a fair and equitable green transition in shipping. Its goal is to ensure that workers’ rights and developing economies’ access to zero-emission vessels and zero-carbon fuels remain at the centre of policy decisions.
Under the newly announced partnership, the SMF will play a key role in informing the Global Industry Peer Learning Group and will act as a contributor to the Task Force’s work including its first project on skills in maritime.
It was also announced that the Maritime Just Transition Task Force will launch a report at COP27 in November on the skills needed for a just green transition in the maritime industry.
“People are powering this green transition, and they must be set up for success. This is why we established the Just Transition Taskforce to ensure the seafarer workforce is supported. The first step is to quantify the skills needed for our workforce to be able to safely work on zero- emission vessels,” said Guy Platten, Secretary General of the ICS.
“We will collaborate with industry and governments to ensure no seafarer is left behind, and that developing nations will have equal access to the same training and support.
“ICS is steadfast in its commitment to ensuring that developing economies are supported so we can make the green transition together.”
Ms. Beng Tee Tan, Executive Director the Singapore Maritime Foundation, added: “Maritime Singapore is making a decisive transition towards sustainable shipping. As a conduit to connect the public and private sectors across the entire maritime ecosystem, the Singapore Maritime Foundation is privileged to be the first programme partner of the Maritime Just Transition Taskforce and to contribute to this global conversation.
“We recognise that sustainable shipping requires a workforce equipped with new skills. A key challenge therefore is to identify the suite of skills required for new talent, and how to reskill the existing workforce.
“This collaborative effort speaks much about the desire of the global maritime industry to come together to address the urgent task of preparing a talent pool to support the sector’s transformation in the years ahead.
This is not the only news to come out of Singapore Maritime Week, as the MPA has also renewed its call for greater collaboration in shipping decarbonisation.
At the organisation’s Accelerating Decarbonisation Conference, the MPA signed three Memorandums of Understanding (MoU) with two green shipping consortiums on the ammonia valve-chain.
