Lloyd’s Register Foundation highlighted the need for safety measures to be embedded in existing and developing ocean industries as the ocean economy grows over coming decades, in order to protect workers and their families.
“A people-centred and collaborative systems approach is needed to scale up the ocean economy safely and sustainably. The opportunity is immense, but this cannot come at the expense of human lives. The ocean is still the most dangerous place on earth to work and risks could increase as the blue economy rapidly scales up to meet the needs of growing populations and develops to become more sustainable. We need to make sure we have the right standards in place to protect workers,” said the Foundation’s Chief Executive, Ruth Boumphrey.
The Foundation team took part in several panel conversations and round tables, discussing topics such as ‘how to do business in the ocean economy’, ‘the need for new approaches to ocean engineering’, blue skills, blue finance and aquaculture. As a global safety charity, the need for safe practices was a core message from the Foundation running throughout the discussions.
Director of Technologies for the Foundation, Jan Pryzdatek said: “Engineers take ocean and climate science and turn it into action so they play a crucial role in making ocean industries safer and more sustainable. We need new approaches to ocean engineering to make sure the infrastructure being built and adapted is future-proof in this dynamic and ever-changing environment, without causing harm elsewhere.”
“Capacity needs to be built across the system, especially in those parts of the world where there is, or will be, a skills gap,” added the Foundation’s Director of Skills & Education, Tim Slingsby. “There was a request during the Summit for experienced professionals to provide access to mentors and training programmes while raising awareness of the huge range of exciting ocean-related careers. This offers a real opportunity for businesses and organisations to share their experiences and upskill future generations. With the right capabilities in place, we can minimise risk and keep people safer while meeting the increasing demand on ocean productivity.”
For more information about the Foundation’s range of current programmes in the ocean economy, visit here.
