According to your opinion, which will be amongst the biggest challenges for the shipping industry for the years to come?

By no doubt, the biggest decade of change and transformation for the maritime sector lies ahead of us, with the transition to zero-carbon shipping being amongst the most significant in the industry’s history. The decarbonisation challenge has overcome the “if” and “when” questions and needs to provide answers on the “how” it will become a reality.
From an engineering angle, technically viable solutions - through industry-wide collaborations - will soon be available; but this is not enough. Much of the discussion is now on the commercial viability and Lloyd’s Register’s recent report “It’s time: How to make shipping’s ‘Decade of Action’ a reality”
is providing meaningful answers on what needs to be done during this crucial decade of action, from overcoming the barriers to scale infrastructure, to deliver efficiency and finance the technology uptake.
At LR, we are here to support every step of that journey. In South Europe particularly, we keep invest- ing in offering direct access to the right people, capability, and expertise, at the doorstep of the top ship-owning nation. Our commitment is to best serve our clients, by linking technical expertise to absolute business focus – a combination that has also been the core of my professional pathway. Our focus in supporting our clients in responding to the sustainability challenge, going beyond classification and leading this change for the industry, has also been reflected in our decision to launch the Athens Decarbonisation Centre in early 2021.
We, at LR, stand ready to work together with our clients, being the trusted advisor in our clients’ transformation.

* Regional Commercial Manager, South Europe, Lloyd’s Register

The answer was provided for NAFS magazine issue 143 in its special report “WOMEN in SHEPPING”