[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]UK Chamber President Grahaeme Henderson called for an ‘industry that works for all’ at his address to the UK Chamber of Shipping Annual
Dinner.
The Annual Dinner, one of the best attended in recent years, is the highlight of the UK’s shipping calendar, and Mr Henderson used his speech to call for a step change in seafarer training, safety and efforts to reduce the environmental impact of the global industry.
Mr Henderson said: “As the Prime Minister has said, the UK needs to be a ‘country that works for all’ and the UK Chamber wants shipping to be‘the industry that works for all’. To do that, we need to step up in some key areas that shape our industry and our values. When I meet the families of our seafarers, they tell me that the most important thing
is getting their loved ones home safely.
“But, our global shipping industry has a fatal accident rate 20 times that of the average British worker and 5 times that of construction.
That is simply not good enough.
“And that is why this year, the UK Chamber has taken on a new leadership role on safety, bringing together seafarers, managers and
regulators to work together to enable a step change in safetynperformance.
He continued: “As ‘the industry that works for all’, we have a huge responsibility to ensure that our children inherit a clean natural
environment. The UK Chamber has taken a strong and proactive position,working with our friends at the IMO, on ballast water, emissions and
cleaner oceans. But, we need to do more and quicker. Shipping currently emits some 3% of the world’s greenhouse gases and, if
unchecked, this could rise to 17% by 2050. That’s unacceptable and we need our collective leadership to make the change.
“And we have a responsibility for employment and to the young people of this country. There is no shortage of talented people who want to
make a career in shipping and we need to support them. Having jobs for all, jobs for young people, this is the basic requirement of a successful nation and a successful industry. That is why we have been
working with the Government to develop a new funding set-up for seafarer training and we hope to see an announcement of a proposal
soon.
“For me, innovation is one of the most important factors in ensuring that we address the challenges ahead. Embracing new technology will
make our industry safer, more environmentally friendly and more efficient with lower costs. Innovation is also about new ways of
doing business with a more collaborative business model, to align agendas to make the shipping industry a more joined up operation.”[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
