The Isle of Man Ship Registry (IOMSR) has been recognised for its commitment to the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) agenda.
The registry has been shortlisted in the ESG category in the 2022 Mersey Maritime Industry Awards.
The awards are a celebration of the strength and diversity of the North West’s maritime industry, which is known to be worth £5bn to the Liverpool City Region alone.
They give vital recognition to the world-class standards upheld in the region and reinforce the region’s position as a global maritime centre of excellence.
Now in their eighth year, the winners will be announced at an awards dinner in Liverpool on Thursday November 10, 2022. They will be chosen by a voting process involving local, national and international industry members.
IOMSR has shown its commitment to ESG through a series of ground-breaking and world-leading initiatives.
It became the first flag state to join the Getting to Zero Coalition, an industry-led alliance working towards decarbonising the international maritime shipping sector.
It also become the first flag state in the world to reduce registration fees for ships deploying green technology. This ground breaking new measure, which went live on April 1 this year, gives ship owners a 15 per cent reduction on their annual registration fee.
The reduced fee is available to operators of cargo ships, commercial yachts or passenger ships investing in biofuel, alternative fuels, wind, or shore-side energy technology.
The organisation is also carrying out pioneering work to support the welfare of seafarers. That includes formally launching the first ever seafarer welfare app designed by a flag state.
The app, named ‘Crew Matters’, was developed in partnership with Liverpool-based training company Tapiit Live and is the most advanced of its kind ever produced for seafarers. It is available to around 10,000 seafarers sailing on more than 400 vessels under the Isle of Man flag.
IOMSR director Cameron Mitchell said: “We’re delighted to have been shortlisted for this prestigious award by the judges. It is testament to the work being carried out by our whole team to really make a difference and to commit fully to the ESG agenda.
“When it comes to the environment, we believe flag states have an important role to play in promoting green shipping, rewarding innovation and helping the industry meet the International Maritime Organization’s environmental targets.
“As an organisation IOMSR also continues to look at ambitious ways to act on the decarbonisation agenda that make a real difference. Sustainability is at the heart of all our futures.”
He added: “Even before Covid we recognised that something had to be done that delivered tangible results to help seafarers in the wilderness of the sea and that the problem of seafarer mental health was becoming more acute.”
Chris Shirling-Rooke, chief executive at Mersey Maritime said: “The standard of entries this year is the highest we have seen, and our judges certainly had a tough job in working to draw up the final list which will now proceed to our industry wide vote.
“Everyone who submitted an entry can be incredibly proud of their work; it was really encouraging to see the depth of the activity that is going on within our sector which we know to be growing further and contributing substantially to the regional economy.”