Wavelength Plus: A podcast by TradeWinds

In 2023, the International Maritime Organization adopted a new strategy for shipping’s greenhouse gas emissions, targeting net zero emissions by around 2050. In the year ahead, it will carry out important work to turn its ambition into action. We interviewed UCL Energy Institute’s Tristan Smith, and hear from IMO secretary general-elect Arsenio Dominguez and Union of Greek Shipowners president Mel...

The COP28 climate conference has concluded with a new global goal: “transitioning away” from fossil fuels. It’s an outcome that was disappointing for those calling for the agreement to include a phase-out, but for others it was historic for even oil producing nations to sign up to the commitment. It’s a goal that shipping has already been grappling with. In today’s episode, industry stakeholders s...

Shipping stakeholders are out in force at the COP28 climate conference in Dubai, with some seeing more attention to the industry than ever before. But what do they want to see happen in the global climate discussions? We talk to Jesper Kristensen of DP World and Unifeeder and David Cummins of the Blue Sky Maritime Coalition, and we hear parts of a COP28 presentation by the International Council on...

There has been a standoff in the Pacific Ocean between Greenpeace activists and The Metals Company, which is carrying out an expedition on the Coco to collect data for its plans to begin mining the ocean floor for what are called polymetallic nodules. Is deepsea mining a threat to untouched underwater wilderness? Or is it a way to obtain the metals needed to make batteries to electrify industries...

The Panama Canal is facing a water crisis that fuelled restrictions on the number of ships transiting the waterway, and climate change experts predict more droughts are in the future. We talk to Panama Canal Authority water department head Erick Cordoba and pilots union president Gabriel Aleman about the short-term solutions to today’s crisis and the long-term solutions aimed at preventing another...

Ship recycling in Bangladesh has already made leaps and bounds since Norwegian officials began working to make the industry greener and safer in 2015. Now, the project is entering a new phase as new global rules loom. We speak to Espen Rikter-Svendsen, the Norwegian ambassador in Dhaka. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mitsui OSK Lines is one of the biggest shipowners and operators in Japan and the world, and it wants to set a clear and achievable pathway toward its goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Chief executive Takeshi Hashimoto spoke to TradeWinds editor-in-chief Julian Bray at a forum in Tokyo. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ships tend to speed up to get to their destination and then wait in port queues, wasting fuel and leading to unnecessary emissions. Two interrelated words that start with “O” offer a solution: optimisation and operational efficiency. But while both can reduce shipping’s carbon footprint with today’s technology, shipping’s complexities create barriers to change. After recent developments on both fr...

Wasted time spent in ports means unnecessary carbon emissions, but there are companies that are trying to do something about it. Digital technology firms focused on port time optimisation are working to save time, greenhouse gas footprints and, importantly, money. We talk to Leon Gommans of Teqplay and Abhishek Nair of PortXchange. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We travel to Singapore to discuss the demolition sector after new global rules on recycling ships safely and in an environmentally friendly manner became law. Mohammed Zahirul Islam of PHP Ship Breaking and Recycling Industries, Anil Sharma of GMS, Wolfram Guntermann of Hapag-Lloyd, Kumiko Iwasa of the Japanese Shipowners’ Association, Anette Ronnov of Wallenius Wilhelmsen, Jesselynn Lai of AP Mol...

More ships and a wider variety ships, including older vessels not built for ice, are transiting the Arctic as Russia looks to up use of the Northern Sea Route. But while this may be an opportunity for shipping, it also has significant environmental risks. We take them one by one with Clean Arctic Alliance’s Sian Prior and Margaret Williams of Harvard University’s Belfer Center for Science and Inte...

Almost 90% of pure car and truck carriers under construction at shipyards around the world are being built to run on alternative fuels. We interview Hoegh Autoliners chief executive Andreas Enger as his company looks to add ammonia to the mix, and we talk to MAN Energy Solutions’ Thomas Hansen about how shipowners in this sector are looking at alternative fuels. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/priv...

When a fire strikes a car carrier, the first question asked is often whether it was started by an electric vehicle. But while the growth of electric car shipping and the hazards of lithium-ion batteries do require special measures, a growing body of evidence suggests they may not be more dangerous than conventional vehicles. We talk to Andreas Enger of Hoegh Autoliners, and Bingbing Song and Heike...

In Copenhagen, shipping giant AP Moller-Maersk has christened the first container vessel fuelled by methanol, which will be followed by more than 100 more by the Danish company and others. Will there be more in the near term, and will they find green methanol to meet decarbonisation goals? We talk to Richard Wetzki of TCT Shipbrokers and Ahmed El-Hoshy of OCI Global. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com...

In Nairobi, leaders agree at the Africa Climate Summit that shipping’s carbon should be taxed, adding to calls for the International Maritime Organization to adopt a levy on the industry’s emissions. And in London, new research shows the IMO targets agreed in July may have been more aligned with the Paris Agreement than we at first thought. We talk to Opportunity Green’s Ana Laranjeira and Nishata...

The European Union is adding new regulations to the alphabet soup of sustainability disclosures. The Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive, or CSRD, and the European Sustainability Reporting Standards, or ESRS, will require a daunting list of data points on environmental, social and governance topics. We talk to Position Green’s Joachim Nahem and DNV’s Carl Erik Hoy-Petersen. Hosted on Acas...

Carbon offsets have faced criticism in shipping for not tackling emissions within the sector. Enter carbon insets, tokens that allow a company to pay for greenhouse gas reductions within the maritime supply chain. We talk to Jeroen van Heiningen of 123Carbon, Tom de Ruyter of Titan and Guillaume de Roys of Verifavia. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Shipping companies are exploring an array of technologies to reduce fuel by adding wind propulsion to their vessels, including a ship chartered by commodities giant Cargill that’s using wingsails designed by a company that has its roots in the America’s Cup sailing race. How quickly can this new but old technology make a difference in maritime greenhouse gas emissions? We talk to Cargill Ocean Tra...

The Biden Administration is celebrating the one-year anniversary of the Inflation Reduction Act and its spending on green energy and climate change. But while the US government has pushed to decarbonise shipping, its climate funds have yet to make their way to the industry. We talk to Holland & Knight’s Sean Pribyl and Chamber of Shipping of America’s Kathy Metcalf. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/...

As shipping gears up to enter the EU’s Emissions Trading System at the start of the year, companies will have to pay for the right to pollute, but the price will vary with market whims. Where are those prices headed? BRS Shipbrokers head of carbon markets Mattia Ferracchiato and Vertis Environmental Finance shipping head Frederic Bouthillier provide insight. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy...

The European Union is gearing up to fold shipping into its Emissions Trading System starting next year. How much will it cost, and what will be the impact of the EU’s new regulation on shipping’s greenhouse gas emissions? We talk to Mattia Ferracchiato of BRS Shipbrokers and Jacob Armstrong of Transport & Environment. We also hear from Ingrid Kylstad of Torvald Klaveness. Hosted on Acast. See acas...

After the International Maritime Organization decided to target net-zero emissions by “around” 2050, the UN body will now have to turn ambition into regulation that will push shipping toward that goal. Green Seas explores the mechanisms under discussion with Carnival Corp chief maritime officer William Burke and Global Maritime Forum chief executive Johannah Christensen. Hosted on Acast. See acast...

Experts hope that, within the next few years, enough nations will ratify the High Seas Treaty for this convention to become law and protect biodiversity in the areas of the ocean that are unprotected by national legislation. We talk to World Ocean Council chief executive Paul Holthus, Wikborg Rein partner Oddbjørn Slinning and The Ocean Opportunity Lab’s Birgit Liodden. Hosted on Acast. See acast....

Many were disappointed when the International Maritime Organization approved new greenhouse gas targets that fall short of alignment with the goal to stop global temperature rises at 1.5C. But Tristan Smith, an associate professor of shipping and energy at University College London’s UCL Energy Institute, tells the podcast that by adopting a goal for at least 20% carbon cuts in 2030 and 70% ten ye...

Next week, the International Maritime Organization is expected to make what could be a historic decision on shipping’s greenhouse gas emissions. We speak to experts on efforts to cut shipping emissions about what they hope the final deal will contain and what outcome they worry about. We speak to Bryan Comer of the International Council on Clean Transportation, Sofia and Conor Furstenberg Stott of...