TMS Tanker conference underlines need for collaboration to accelerate ship

Environmental issues and factors influencing the sustainability of tanker shipping as it steps up to play its full part in decarbonising the industry in decades to come were the dominant themes of The Maritime Standard Tanker Conference 2024, which took place on November 7th at The Atlantis, The Palm, Dubai. The need for collaboration between stakeholders to achieve this objective was stressed by a number of speakers, as was the importance of harnessing new technology, including digitalisation and AI-based tools. The importance of engaging ships’ crew in the process of decarbonisation and ensuring they have the right skill sets to enable fleet owners and operators to deliver their objectives was also highlighted by several speakers during the event.

The 2024 TMS Tanker Conference, which featured a programme of expert presentations, lively panel discussions, and a number of interesting questions from the floor, was structured around the theme “Sustainable Tanker Shipping – Accelerating the Journey to Net Zero.” Opening the conference, TMS Editor, Clive Woodbridge, said, “The industry is facing its share of challenges as it seeks to decarbonise and move to net zero. The need to invest, not only in new environment friendly tonnage, but in retrofitting existing ships, is going to be a paramount concern, while there will also be renewed focus on improving operational efficiency, to reduce fuel consumption and hence cut emissions.”