Today is the first day of the historical 83rd meeting of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 83) of the International Maritime Organization. As this finale of our video series that showcases Belgian maritime thought leaders on the occasion of MEPC 83, we interviewed Carl-Antoine Saverys, CEO of EXMAR Group.

When looking at all the challenges confronting the shipping industry today, Carl-Antoine highlighted the crossroads at which companies find themselves in:

What are the new alternative fuels we should be investing in our newbuilds? How will we be able to implement sufficient scale on these new alternative fuels and make sure that the regulations that we have will be applied on a global level?

At this MEPC 83 meeting where the crucial decision will have to be taken by all 176 Member States of the IMO, the key to reaching an agreement is to work together to avoid any polarisation:

“I do feel that we are entering into a polarisation between the East and the West. Each with different speeds and regulations playing out in a different world environment. That is going to be challenging.”

For the industry to move ahead with confidence, Carl-Antoine has one major advice for these global decision-makers:

“Keep it simple. It is the number one word we should keep in mind when we are thinking about regulations. We need a regulatory framework that allows us to create a level-playing field whether we are managing a company out of Antwerp or Shanghai.”
Source: Royal Belgian Shipowners’ Association (KBRV)