MARITIME experts have advocated the adoption of new maritime technologies for cleaner and safer shipping in the African continent.

Speaking at the 7th Lagos International Maritime Week, LIMW, held in Lagos, the French Ambassador to Nigeria, Mme Emmanuelle Blatmann, who was represented by Laurence Monmayrant, Consul-General of France in Lagos, said that profound mutations are also taking place in the maritime industry for the better.

Monmayrant  noted that the conference has put ecology on the agenda to move towards a greener footprint in the shipping industry.

She explained that, more than the energy crisis, there had been repeated major natural disasters which must trigger the change for the shipping industry as a big energy consumer.

The French envoy further explained that in France, the French private sector has moved forward three years ago as 10 French ship owners and the Italian ship-owner, Grimaldi signed a the Sustainable Actions for Innovative and Low-impact Shipping (SAILS) charter aimed at drastically reducing emissions and protecting the marine environment.

Also speaking, Otunba Kunle Folarin, Chairman, Nigerian Port Consultative Council, said that the immediate concerns that needed to be addressed were issues in the maritime and shipping environment, particularly in Marine Technology and Machinery.

In her opening remarks, convener of the Conference, Mrs Tosan Edodo, lamented the decay of infrastructure in the shipping industry.

Edodo noted that Maritime transport infrastructure has suffered a deficit in the last few years, adding that efforts should be intensified towards ensuring that bottlenecks and constraint that inhibits the flow of international trade.

Source: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2022/09/maritime-experts-advocate-new-tech-for-cleaner-shipping-in-africa/