On January 31, 24th, NIMA conducted a seminar titled “IMO’s Obligations of Reducing Harmful Emissions at Sea – Pakistan’s Response and Challenges.” Former DG NIMA, V/Adm Abdul Aleem, was the Chief Guest for the event. He stressed that while there will be challenges along the way to achieving greener shipping in accordance with IMO GHG Strategy-23, these can be addressed via strategic planning and systemic capacity building.
In his welcoming remarks, President NIMA emphasized that every sector now has a greater duty in the “Climate Emergency” era. Since Pakistan has already signed the previous five annexes, Mr. Camille Bourgeon, Tech. Officer from IMO, London, emphasized the necessity for Pakistan to ratify MARPOL Annex VI as soon as possible. In addition, he promised that IMO will provide complete technical help in this area. The MoMA’s DG of Ports and Shipping, Ms. Alia Shahid, explained that a plan has been developed for its early ratification. A detailed strategy outlining how PNSC intends to replace its aged fleet over the next thirty years was provided by Cdre Irfan Taj. Additionally, he claimed that low-carbon fuel has already been adopted by existing ships. The most recent technological advancements were presented by Dr. M. Faheem of NUST. These included remote sensing devices that may be used to generate patterns of air pollution, which are vital tools for determining the long-term consequences on the environment. Additionally, he demonstrated inexpensive NUST-developed air monitoring systems with a 90% accuracy factorImportant contributions were also made by representatives of the PMSA, KPT, GPA, and provincial EPAs, among other maritime communities. Towards the end, everyone agreed that Pakistan must hasten the ratification of MARPOL VI in order to reach the 2030 and 2050 GHG objectives, as stipulated by SDGs 13 and 14.
