Today is World Maritime Day, a day when every one of us should take the time to recognise and celebrate the essential contribution of the maritime industry to the world’s development and prosperity. This year is especially memorable as it coincides with the 70th anniversary of the adoption of the Convention establishing the International Maritime Organisation.
Shipping Australia Limited Director Ken Fitzpatrick was proud to represent the international shipping industry at an AMSA celebratory event at Parliament House last week. “It is important that our parliamentarians are aware of the importance of shipping,” Ken Fitzpatrick said. Their decisions make the difference whether we make the most of it or not.”
“Australia’s history, development, security and prosperity are all dependent on the sea,” Shipping Australia CEO, Rod Nairn said. “We wouldn’t be the nation we are now without the heritage of the early navigators, the seaborne immigration and our economic growth through maritime trade.”
Over 99 per cent of our international trade volume, goes by sea, that’s close to $430 billion in trade. There are around 30,000 port calls in Australia comprising around 13,000 voyages by nearly 5,000 commercial ships.
Australia as a nation can’t survive without international shipping. It carries our exports to earn our national revenue. Ordinary Australians can’t survive without international ships bringing us food, fertilizer, building materials and the consumer goods that we demand for our daily lives.
Shipping is already the most environmentally efficient method of moving freight over long distances, but the shipping industry is also doing a lot more to further improve our green credentials.
In the past few years the shipping industry has introduced ballast water treatment systems to reduce marine pest risk, an Energy Efficiency Design Index to encourage green-house gas efficiency, and by 2020 a global 0.5 percent cap on sulphur emissions comes into force.
“These and other initiatives to improve seafarers’ welfare are making shipping safer, cleaner and less intrusive – that’s better shipping for a better future,” Nairn concluded.
Editor’s note:
For additional information contact Rod Nairn, chief executive officer on 0449 902 457.
Shipping Australia is a peak national shipping association comprising 27 member shipping lines and shipping agents that would be involved with over 70 per cent of Australia’s container and car trade, over 60 per cent of our break bulk and bulk trades, and significant cruise ship and tug operations.
