zoomImage Courtesy: Clyde & Co

Lack of uniform international legal framework is expected to hinder the adoption of green technology in shipping, according to law firm Clyde & Co.

A new report, which surveyed 220 marine industry executives from across the world, showed that over two thirds (68%) of global marine industry executives believe that a lack of such regulations would impede the adoption of green technologies.

Some international maritime conventions, which target environmental protection, do exist, such as the global sulphur emissions limit and the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments, which came into force in September 2017.

While some are in place, Clyde & Co said that there is a distinct lack of global regulation surrounding other key environmental issues. For example, the marine industry is not currently regulated at a global level for carbon emissions.

A fundamental concern for the industry is that the absence of a convention, or even a non-preemptive existing legal framework, leaves the field open to additional and potentially inconsistent regulations by different jurisdictions.

“There is clearly an interest to explore the possibilities of green-tech. But the industry would prefer guidance, certainty and perhaps most importantly, uniformity,” Conte Cicala, partner at Clyde & Co in San Francisco, said.

The report also identified some key barriers to and issues around the adoption of new energy management solutions.

Namely, 63% of global marine industry executives think that costs will impede the adoption of new energy management solutions, while 73% believe that fuel availability will strongly drive the market for energy management solutions.

Additionally, some 64% worry that energy management solutions will place additional demands on crews.