Wah Kwong Maritime Transport Holdings deputy chairman Hing Chao took the helm of Bureau Veritas' Asia and Australia Committee last week as it met in Hanoi to discuss key issues facing shipping.
The appointment of the brother of Wah Kwong chairman Sabrina Chao marks another shipping community leadership position for the siblings that lead the Hong Kong company.
Hing is also on the executive committee of the Hong Kong Shipowners Association, where his sister served as chairman from 2015 until 2017.
Main risks
At the Bureau Veritas meeting, shipowners, shipbuilders and other industry stakeholders were in attendance, where they cited environmental regulations and a lack of adequately trained personnel as the main risks facing the maritime sector.
Bureau Veritas, the Paris-based classification society, said 52% of those polled at the meeting expressed concerns about the supply of low-sulphur fuel oil when new emissions regulations come into play on 1 January 2020.
And 45% said they would use the fuel to comply, with some 25% preferring heavy fuel oil with scrubbers and another 19% opting for marine gasoil and marine diesel oil. LNG is the fuel of choice for the remaining 11%.
Meanwhile, 60% said they believe the IMO's greenhouse-gas reduction targets for 2050 might be achievable, with most seeing LNG and hydrogen as key energy sources to meet that goal.
There was "significant support" for nuclear energy in shipping, but those in attendance saw scant prospects for wind power.
