Len Roueche News

Len Roueche, a Director of WFSA and a Consultant to Förde Reederei Seetouristik (FRS), and previously the CEO of Interferry – the trade association lead for the worldwide ferry sector, has offered his views on ways to implement some of the key suggestions in this important and forward-looking just-released report, authored by the United Nations Secretary-General's High-Level Advisory Group (HLAG) on Sustainable Transport of which he is a member. The U.N. report is wide ranging…

On June 2-3, 2016,  the Ferry Safety and Technology Conference will be held in downtown Manhattan. Throughout the world, the quickening pace of technological advances is impacting all sectors of the maritime business; ferries are no exception. The conference, now in its second year, will feature practical and affordable technologies already deployed in passenger transportation, or soon to be. Topics to be discussed will include Vessel Design; Landings – with a focus on their resiliency and Maritime Weather – with fresh information on timely fine scale marine weather detection. Information management and Communication applications will be center stage.

Darrell Bryan, formerly president and CEO of Victoria Clipper, has started work as interim CEO of Interferry following the retirement of Len Roueche. The Interferry board of directors named Bryan for the role – effective from April 1 - late last year pending the appointment of a permanent successor. Roueche, who has retired after 14 years as CEO, led the organization’s evolution from the International Marine Transit Association (IMTA) to Interferry, the leading international association for ferry operators and industry suppliers. Interferry chairman Mike Grainger commented, “We thank Len for his long commitment to our organization and to the international ferry community.

Korea’s Kitack Lim, whose term as IMO secretary-general began January 1, will address the opening conference session on October 17, following an invitation inspired by 10 years of IMO and Interferry cooperation to improve domestic ferry safety in developing nations. The campaign has recently focused on Southeast Asia, where an estimated 10,000 have died in domestic ferry incidents since the year 2000. Last year the joint initiative progressed with a special conference in Manila…

Interferry CEO Len Roueche reviews the latest regulatory challenges impacting the ferry industry. With U.S. origins dating back more than 40 years, Interferry is the trade association and main voice for the global ferry sector – a crucial but often forgotten part of the wider shipping industry. Historically this has been particularly true with regard to regulatory issues at the International Maritime Organization (IMO), but in recent times the association has emerged as an increasingly influential platform within the corridors of power.

Firefighting led a stream of topical debate at trade association Interferry’s 40th annual conference in Copenhagen last week – but not before a record 342 delegates came under fire from a leading Green politician claiming that ‘shipping is currently one of the unaddressed areas of air pollution’. Michael Cramer, German chair of the European Parliament’s transport and tourism committee, delivered a stinging opening address demanding that the ferry and shipping sectors become more environmentally sustainable. He said ‘most vessels are like hazardous waste incinerators because they burn heavy fuel oil which should be processed as highly toxic waste but is usually exhaled without sufficient filtering’.

A convergence of forces makes for market opportunities for new safe ferry systems in the developing world. Need, policy, and funding are poised to provide a moment of opportunity. The expanding global economy has resulted in economic and population growth in developing world cities, resulting in horrendous road congestion. In response, governments and businesses have begun planning for intra-urban ferries wherever possible. Ferries in the developing world have a deserved reputation for being unsafe.

A review of the ferry industry’s latest challenges and opportunities attracted a record 340 delegates to Vancouver last week for the 39th annual Interferry conference. The global trade association event exposed a string of concerns – notably over punitive safety and environmental regulations – but also highlighted the financial potential of new routes, onboard shopping incentives and the use of LNG fuel. Alongside sessions on the future of the industry, Canada-based CEO Len Roueche outlined a vision for maintaining Interferry’s influential lobbying role among politicians and regulators.

Two major examples of Interferry’s growing influence will be highlighted next week at the global trade association’s 39th annual conference in Vancouver. CEO Len Roueche will report on his nomination to a new UN high level advisory group on sustainable transport, while executive director for European Union and IMO affairs Johan Roos will explain a breakthrough by ferry operators in obtaining EU funding to help them comply with the low sulphur rules that enter force in Emission Control Areas next January.

More than 250 top-level delegates attended trade association Interferry’s 38th annual conference in Malta to debate the major factors affecting ferry operations around the world. Under a new format mixing presentations with panel discussions and audience input, the event underlined the diversity of political, technical, operational and commercial issues challenging the industry. Among several sessions focused on safety, a former airline pilot confirmed the alarming certainty of human error…

The International Finance Corporation (IFC) – part of the World Bank Group that provides development loans to poor nations - is poised to support the ferry industry for the first time after asking trade association Interferry to help identify deserving countries and operators. The initiative will be explained at Interferry’s 37th annual conference in Dubai from October 21-24, which will also feature dramatic insights from power solutions giant Wärtsilä on how a fast-changing world could impact on shipping by the year 2030. IFC interest in the ferry sector was prompted by the ongoing IMO/Interferry joint programme to improve ferry safety in developing nations.

Recognition of Interferry’s growing role as a voice for the ferry industry has prompted classification society DNV and bookings/check-in systems specialist Carus to pledge long-term financial support for the trade association and its annual conference. Interferry offers two top-level Platinum sponsorships for the event – and each organisation has signed a five-year deal after stressing their belief that the association has a key role to play, not least in ensuring regulators take account of the impact of future legislation before it is passed.

A blueprint for safer ferry operations in developing nations has been drawn up at the inaugural Regional Forum on Domestic Ferry Safety - organised by the IMO and trade association Interferry under their ongoing joint project to stem ferry fatalities in the developing world. Aimed at national maritime administrations and ferry operators in south-east Asia, the event was hosted by Indonesia in Bali on December 6-7 and attracted 74 participants. After two days of presentations and debate, they agreed an action plan ranging from accident reporting and investigation to guidelines on buying and running second-hand vessels. Delegate attendance was supported by additional funding from South Korea…

Interferry is opening a Brussels office with a full-time specialist for European Union and IMO activities in a bid to strengthen the ferry industry’s voice on maritime policy and regulations. Start-up funding for the initiative has been guaranteed by five major European members of the worldwide trade association – Brittany Ferries, DFDS, Grimaldi Group, P&O Ferries and Stena Line. Johan Roos, director of sustainability at Sweden’s Stena group since 2006, will join Interferry as executive director of EU and IMO affairs in September, working from an office within the Brussels HQ of the European Community Shipowners’ Association (ECSA).

Trade association Interferry is mounting a membership drive with ro-ro operators among key targets in a further move to strengthen its representation at the International Maritime Organization. Interferry, which has had IMO consultative status since 2003, recently became an associate member of the influential International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) and has just set up a regulatory committee to direct safety and environmental submissions by its newly expanded delegation. Now the association – formed 35 years ago by passenger sector interests - is aiming for more ro-ro members after becoming increasingly involved in issues that also affect freight-only ferries.

The original two-year MOU has been renewed indefinitely following major progress towards running demonstration projects in Bangladesh as a pilot for taking the safety initiative worldwide. The new agreement was signed in London by IMO secretary-general Efthimios Mitropoulos and Interferry CEO Len Roueche. The trade association has IMO consultative status and a global membership of more than 200 leading operators and suppliers. Mr Roueche said: “This commitment to our ongoing cooperation will be crucial in helping to prevent thousands of avoidable deaths. Initial funds have been raised for key elements of the Bangladesh pilot programme, which is based on proposals from a working group including the national maritime administration, local operators and other stakeholders.

Efthimios Mitropoulos, secretary-general of the International Maritime Organization, recently became the first holder of a new award for significant contribution to the ferry industry, the Interferry Person of Distinction. Interferry named Mitropoulos for his "global leadership in highlighting the importance of passenger ship safety". Mitropoulous joined the IMO Secretariat in 1979 and was appointed to the top post in 2004. The presentation was made by Interferry CEO Len Roueche at IMO headquarters in London on July 31. Mitropoulos was cited as a driving force in the joint IMO/Interferry initiative to improve domestic ferry safety in developing nations.