The SWACHH SAGAR SURAKSIT SANSAR Conference in New Delhi, India

I was privileged to be an invited speaker at the SWACHH SAGAR SURAKSIT SANSAR (Clean Oceans for a Safe Earth) Conference today held in New Delhi, India. My presentation on “The Need for IMO Guidelines to Define the Ship Environmental Officer Position” was part of a panel discussion on Ocean Governance.

This World Oceans Day conference, hosted by the India Ministry of Earth Sciences, brought together experts, policymakers, and practitioners to discuss key challenges and practical solutions for sustainable ocean governance. The Co-Chairs were:

• Admiral RK Dhowan, PVSM, AVSM, YSM (Retd) of the Society for Aerospace Maritime and Defence Studies (SAMDeS); and

• Professor Peter Droege, founder and Managing Director/CEO of the Liechtenstein Institute for Strategic Development (LISD)

The Society for Aerospace Maritime and Defence Studies (SAMDeS) is a New Delhi-based non-profit think tank dedicated to advancing India's national security, defense manufacturing, and maritime ecosystems. Founded in 2020 by former Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral R.K. Dhowan (Retd) alongside founder Commodore Sujeet Samaddar (Retd), the organization serves as a key strategic bridge between government policy, military leadership, academic research, and private defense industries.

The Liechtenstein Institute for Strategic Development (LISD) is an independent scientific research and consulting organization headquartered in Berlin, with ties to the Principality of Liechtenstein. Directed by urban scholar Prof. Peter Droege, it focuses on regenerative urban planning, intelligent energy master plans, and rapid deployment of renewable infrastructure.

There were two plenary sessions: Session I on Sustainable Shipping and Shipbuilding and Session II on Ocean Governance. The conference provided ideas and recommendations for a more coordinated global approach to ocean sustainability and contributed to the idea of a Global Maritime Accord - a broader framework for safe, secure, and sustainable oceans. The Global Maritime Accord (GMA) is a proposed international framework designed to harmonize the administration, governance, and environmental protection of the world’s oceans, with a primary focus on the High Seas (Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction). The conference helps position India as an important voice in shaping future ocean governance.

The main takeaways from my presentation are:

1. The global fleet of ships sailing the oceans of the world all have complex environmental compliance and broader sustainability performance challenges. These responsibilities are typically assigned to senior deck or technical officers on large commercial ships and to a dedicated Environmental Officer on cruise and expedition ships where the scale of waste streams associated with thousands of crew and guests requires a dedicated ship officer.

2. A day in the life of an Environmental Officer can be a hectic blend of technical and voyage planning meetings, rounds, inspections, emission and discharge monitoring, waste management, checking record books and data trends, providing crew training, performing administrative tasks, and responding to a plethora of compliance issues that arise.

3. The job description and minimum qualifications for an Environmental Officer can vary significantly across the industry.

4. The Environmental Officer usually reports to the Captain while maintaining a secondary, direct reporting line to shoreside compliance managers to ensure independence from operational pressures.

5. The Environmental Officer position is not currently defined by SOLAS, MARPOL, or Flag State requirements. Instead, it is a "loosely defined set of practices" that has been mostly shaped by government enforcement actions in the United States. While specific responsibilities can vary, cruise and expedition companies generally define the Environmental Officer as a senior, non-watch standing management role focused on regulatory compliance and the implementation of the company's Environmental Management System (EMS).

6. To Improve Governance over these strategically important functions: We Need IMO Guidelines to define the ship Environmental Officer position and how those duties are otherwise assigned in the commercial shipping sector.

7. The Environmental Officer role should be driven by a Dynamic Risk Management System to give primary attention to the highest-ranked risks

8. Artificial Intelligence (AI) can vastly enhance an EO's ability to prevent and detect environmental non-compliance

9. Expanded Environmental Officer responsibility for sustainability performance may be warranted.

A copy of the PRIMARIUM paper from the conference can be downloaded here: