As a Japanese civil servant, Hideaki Saito might seem like an unlikely person to include in a list of influential people for shipping in the coming decades.

But the future fortunes of shipping markets are as likely to be swayed by the environmental decisions taken by governments at the International Maritime Organization as they are by the ups and downs of ship supply and cargo demand.

In his role as chairman of the IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC), Saito will play a key role in guiding member states to some consensus on medium- and long-term measures to dramatically reduce carbon emissions from shipping.

In his day job in Tokyo, he is deputy director general for engineering affairs at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Tourism and Transport, a role that includes shipbuilding policy, port state control and maritime safety.

His position in Japanese shipbuilding has seen him come into conflict with rivals in South Korea over international trade rules.

At the IMO he very much has his eye on bringing together a wide diversity of views and making sure the London-based organisation sticks to its commitments on climate change.

Because the Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted the IMO’s meeting schedule, the immediate concern is whether it can still reach an agreement on time.

Saito is clear he wants the regulator to stick to its original schedule and goals.

Global shipping should contribute to combating global warming as far as possible. I believe that this view still prevails, and the IMO should stick to this

Hideaki Saito

“Short-, medium- and long-term emission reduction goals, which are contained within the IMO greenhouse gas [GHG] reduction strategy adopted in 2018, were decided, from a long-term perspective, based on a common view that global shipping should contribute to combating global warming as far as possible. I believe that this view still prevails, and the IMO should stick to this,” he tells TW+.

One reason some IMO delegates believe Saito is a good man for the job is that Japan is suffering from the effects of global warming and its government is a strong supporter of the Paris Agreement on climate change.

Governments in Asia, where so much of the shipping and shipbuilding industries are located, also feel comfortable working with him.

Doing two jobs at once from different sides of the world can be demanding. Saito is still in his early 50s. He is a keen runner and golfer, which has kept him fit for the job.

IMO delegates describe his approach as more diplomatic than dictatorial, but say he has the support of the floor at the debating chamber.

Saito has used his diplomatic skills to help the MEPC come close to some sort of agreement on short-term measures before the pandemic struck.

The agreement was hoped for at the next meeting, MEPC 75. Saito believes it still can be achieved.

“The secretariat is resuming the preparation for the meeting and, if it goes well, it is likely that we may have MEPC 75 later this year,” he says. “I believe that member states still keep up their motivation to reach ... consensus on the measures at MEPC 75.”

But the short-term measures are aimed at improving the efficiency of the existing fleet. It is the longer-term measures that are expected to revolutionise shipping the most. So where does Saito think the industry is heading?

“From a long-term perspective, in order to reduce drastically GHG emissions from ships, engine systems, both main and auxiliary ones, should be altered,” he replies.

“Namely, it is inevitable to make transitions to zero-emission fuels, such as hydrogen, ammonia and other fuels.

“The maritime industries should undertake research and development to this end.”