WWF believes that fundamental changes are needed to the way that shipping is operated and regulated globally. We are working with a number of sustainable shipping initiatives promoting improved environmental performance and alternatives to ‘business as usual’ shipping practices.

IWSA Associate Member

Environmental performance of shipping continues to be an area of increasingly intensive scrutiny, which has driven governments, ports and shipping operators to focus on ways of improving the sustainability of the shipping life-cycle and initiatives that encourage them to do this.

WWF is working on:

Protecting sensitive areas from shipping threats – As part of our work to lessen the impact of shipping on marine ecosystems, WWF’s Global Marine Programme advocates for the designation of Particularly Sensitive Sea Areas (PSSAs) and other spatial measures in conjunction with tools such as marine spatial planning in order to deliver ecosystem based management of ocean resources.

Make the industry more transparent and accountable – ensuring that flag states (the country in which a vessel is registered) meet their responsibilities in applying and enforcing international shipping regulations. Details of ownership and management of ships being made fully transparent, to enable appropriate accountability regarding performance. Effective liability arrangements being put in place as a precautionary measure to ensure fit for purpose operations and that parties are held responsible for the consequences of poor shipping standards and practices. We are also working on ensuring flag state responsibility in order to stop illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing.

Improve operational standards and practices – WWF has worked within the International Maritime Organization (IMO) for many years on a number of issues involving shipping practices and standards including: better management of ballast water, elimination of single-hull oil tankers and toxic anti-fouling paints, reductions to bilge oil discharges, changing shipping lanes to protect north Atlantic right whales.

 

 

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