This week, Charles Haskell, Decarbonisation Program Manager at Lloyd’s Register, is taking centre stage as ship.energy’s podcast guest.

Class societies are playing a key and proactive role in assisting the shipping industry to meet the massive challenge of decarbonisation and deliver on the IMO’s 2030 and 2050 GHG emission reduction targets. Earlier this week, some of the leading class societies and flag states demonstrated that they had ‘heard the call’ for more cross industry collaboration to accelerate the energy transition, with the announcement of the Maritime Technologies Forum.

The Forum will draw upon its members’ expertise to offer guidance and advice to the maritime sector on the technical and regulatory challenges associated with its decarbonisation.

Lloyd’s Register is one of the seven founding members of the Forum and last October the class society also announced the setting up of its own Maritime Decarbonisation Hub, a joint initiative between Lloyd’s Register Group and Foundation. This initiative is intended to draw together thought leaders and subject matter experts who can help the maritime sector develop pathways for the creation of safe and commercially viable marine fuels.

The Maritime Decarbonisation Hub is taking shape under the leadership of Charles Haskell, and in this ship.energy podcast he discusses how it is framing its approach to shipping’s energy transition and explains how class societies are collectively playing a major role in facilitating the industry’s drive to ‘zero’. Along the way, he also addresses the topical issues of carbon pricing and fleet renewal timelines.

Charles joined Lloyd’s Register in 2001 and worked in various ship repair and new construction yards in UK, France and Poland before working in South Korea on a number of projects for container ships, tankers, and LNG carriers.

Following this he moved to the Middle East, conducting audits and in-service surveys. He then transitioned into client management and led the Middle East and Africa business development team before returning to the United Kingdom and resuming a similar role. During this time he has worked with several clients on zero-emission projects that spurred his passion to work more on helping shipping achieve the IMO 2050 ambitions.