Today, the 29th of September marks the 2022 World Maritime Day. The theme “New Technologies for Greener Shipping” was chosen by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to promote the use of technologies that minimizes carbon footprint and other environmental pollutions generated by the maritime industry for a sustainable maritime sector. This is in consonance with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) particularly Goals 13 and 14 targeted at taking urgent action to combat climate change and its impact and to conserve and sustainably use the oceans.
As one of the oldest and cost-effective means of transporting goods, the maritime industry transcends borders including Nigeria. It is expected that with the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), there would be increased trading and collaborations between Nigeria and other African countries, hence an increase in maritime activities across Africa. Accordingly, Nigeria must take a stance to ensure greener shipping. This includes among other things, transition of vessels from the use of heavy fuel oil (HFO) which is a dirty oil to cleaner fuels with low sulphur fuel content, exploring the use of Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) as an alternative fuel and the incorporation of renewable energy such as fitting ships with wind and solar power, designing ships that incorporate these technologies and deploying other green technologies to track the adoption of practices that ensure greener shipping…
