Maritime, aviation sectors can learn from each other in tackling conflict risks, climate change: transport leaders

[SINGAPORE] The maritime and aviation sectors can work together to tackle shared global risks such as geopolitical conflict and climate change, said senior global transport officials on Monday (Jul 14).

These are among “common challenges and issues… that straddle both sectors”, said Acting Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow.

“To that end, we are looking at how we can train practitioners in both sectors to be able to look at these issues and to come up with innovative solutions to address them.”

For a start, Singapore will work with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to develop new joint training programmes on areas such as sustainability, safety and capacity building, he added.

This was at a press conference with ICAO’s secretary-general Juan Carlos Salazar and IMO’s secretary-general Arsenio Dominguez, held after the Global Aviation and Maritime Symposium.

The one-day event brought together more than 500 maritime and aviation leaders from over 60 countries and 90 organisations.

Collaboration between both transport sectors is not just possible, but necessary, said Dominguez. “Sometimes we’re portrayed as competing. But that’s not the case.”

One shared challenge is sustainability. Here, Siow noted, aviation has been focusing on sustainable aviation fuel due to its fixed infrastructure, while the maritime industry is exploring a broader mix of alternative fuels.

ICAO’s Salazar said that even as the aviation sector develops its own measures to cut carbon emissions, it is closely observing the IMO’s decarbonisation framework, which he described as “innovative”.

As the aviation sector works towards a plan to address carbon emissions, it hopes to learn from the maritime sector’s experience after it rolls out its net-zero framework later this year, he added.

Safer skies and seas

Beyond emissions, aviation and maritime can work together in many other areas, said Salazar.

He named examples such as managing air and sea traffic in conflict zones, coordinating search and rescue operations, and improving crisis responses. 

“Many of the challenges we face today are common: political instability, threats to security and safety of both maritime and aviation systems,” he said. “These present opportunities to exchange and learn from each other.”

His maritime counterpart Dominguez noted that safety challenges such as search and rescue, route disruptions, and safety equipment interference are shared across both sectors.

ICAO’s Salazar also noted that international civil aviation has long drawn from the maritime sector, particularly in legal frameworks. 

“In that regard, I believe the cross-pollination… of experiences and best practices… is very important,” he said.