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To pave the way to sustainable future. A leading shipowner has called on the maritime industry to accept the need for tough regulations to achieve sustainability, in sharp contrast to critics who warn that such moves could hamper international trade. Mrs Elisabeth Grieg, chief executive of Grieg International and chairman of the Grieg Shipping Group, declared: "We still have a long way to go before our industry actually does its relative part in creating a sustainable future - both environmentally and socially. Therefore, while some [people] focus on the burdens of rules and regulations, my message is that we cannot do without rules and regulations.
"In fact, our industry should encourage rules and regulations to force all players to adhere to some basic standards and to punish those that do not."
She was speaking during a debate at the WISTA 2010 Conference in Athens on the relevance of regulation to sustainability. Mrs Grieg said: "I sincerely believe that the shipping industry is one of the cornerstones in the infrastructure of the global community. We carry 90% of the global transportation of goods. Through exploration, production and transportation our business is essential in providing energy to a growing world market.
"We must recognize that national, regional and global regulations are justified by the absence of desired performance across the industry. There might of course from time to time be more opportunistic reasons for political interference, but there are numerous examples of areas in grave need of regulations and rules. It is - at best - a paradox that so many companies in an industry with the long-term perspectives of international shipping are making so many business decisions based on short-term considerations."
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