Not-for-profit shipping pressure group Global Maritime Forum (GMF) was nearly overwhelmed by the response to its latest essay writing competition for students and young professionals.
The organisation posed the question: over the next decade, how can the maritime sector continue to contribute to realising the Sustainable Development Goals?
A total of 101 essays were received from 37 countries, covering climate change, ocean health, ship recycling, the circular economy, inclusive growth, the well-being of seafarers and diversity in the workforce.
Judges included chair Christine Loh, chief development strategist at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology's Institute for the Environment, and V.Group chief executive Graham Westgarth.
They picked three winners in the end.
Seafarers must not be forgotten
The first was Camille Simbulan, 30, special projects and communications head at the Associated Marine Officers and Seamen’s Union of the Philippines (AMOSUP).
She argued that shipping must look beyond the numbers and not forget the lives and stories behind them to achieve gender equality on board ships, decent work and economic growth, and seafarer well-being.
This was a prominent theme in many entries.
"Seafarer well-being is an important topic. It is especially important this year with Covid-19 as there are many new challenges," Loh said.
"It did not come as a surprise that many competition participants wrote about issues of particular concern to seafarers. What was striking was how poignant these essays were."
Ship recycling in focus
The second winner, 25-year-old Jonathan Brown, is a graduate naval architect from the UK.
He explored how current practices in ship recycling are damaging human health and the environment, writing that safe recycling incentives should be offered to shipowners and shipyards.
The final winner, Nikol Hearn, 29, a South African analyst at Marine Capital, argued in her entry that financing the maritime sector’s decarbonisation is a difficult but key challenge.
She suggests that green finance flows into the sector could be improved with the help of regulation and by looking beyond the most conventional investors for capital.
The three winners of the competition will attend GMF's Virtual High-Level Meeting between 7 and 14 October, where they will represent the next generation of maritime talent.
Winner invited to summit
The meeting aims to rethink global seaborne trade.
"The Future Maritime Leaders essay competition aims to give the next generations of leaders a chance to raise their voice on the sustainable future of the maritime industry – and the industry a chance to listen," GMF said.
The winners will also be invited to GMF's annual summit in London next year.
"It’s encouraging to see young talents are aware of areas where the maritime industry can improve its environmental performance and contribute to global goals," added Loh.
Many essays addressed issues of inclusive growth, where they saw the maritime industry as able to play a key role.
This especially focused on supporting the development aims of emerging economies in order to ensure that no one is left behind.
