International Windship Association (IWSA) Secretary General, Gavin Allwright, has issued a number of recommendations and a call for action to the One Ocean summit, being held in Brest, France, convened by the French President.
IWSA supports an appropriate level of carbon pricing and levies to be brought into the shipping industry, and believes that wind-powered ships should be fully integrated within International and European institutions, in order to further improve ocean protection and urgently deliver on decarbonisation pledges. IWSA has requested a “propulsion- or energy-centric approach” rather than a narrow “fuel-centric” one.
Allwright said: “To this end, actively supporting the evolution of the IMO texts so that wind propulsion is considered in the same way as alternative fuels and is brought to the heart of the maritime transport decarbonisation pathway. Also, promoting direct wind power for shipping in European policies dedicated to the greening of the fleet, including in the proposals currently under discussion such as Fuel EU Maritime and the wider ‘Fit 55’ programme.”
Another key recommendation is to deploy a fleet of wind-propelled vessels in island territories that are extremely vulnerable to climate change and that will be confronted with the challenges of availability and cost of alternative fuels – in particular the Pacific islands, but also the Caribbean territories and many other least developed regions and small island developing states. This fleet will stand as a strong contributing factor in building resilience in these regions and will be a symbol of international solidarity and a commitment to a ‘Just Transition’ in the Ocean sphere.
Allwright concluded: “Support nationally, regionally and internationally for the research, development and deployment of direct wind propulsion systems and vessels will be a clear, unequivocal message that urgent and deep reductions in shipping emissions are not just possible this decade, but affordable and hugely beneficial to the blue economy and ocean environment. As we call it, ‘A Win, Win, Wind situation for All’.”
