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fleet vessels are among the actors that benefit from the degraded navigational environment created by such interference.To what extent are geopolitical instability and heightened security risks affecting the attractiveness of the seafaring profession, and could this further exacerbate the existing global shortage of qualified officers?The security situation across multiple regions %u2014 the Red Sea, the Middle East Gulf, and the Strait of Hormuz %u2014 has placed seafarers under sustained and genuinely serious pressure. There have been more than 150 attacks in the Red Sea since November 2023. People have died. Ships have been lost. And crews are transiting areas where there are, frankly, no effective defences against certain weapons systems currently available on board civilian vessels.What I can say with certainty is that seafarer welfare has become one of INTERTANKO%u2019s most urgent operational concerns. In the current Hormuz/Gulf situation, we have been pressing governments hard on three things: repatriation and welfare, safety of navigation, and coordinated international security support. Seafarers need to be treated as key workers %u2014 they must not be stranded, they need to have access to provisions and welfare services, and the fatigue and psychological pressures on crews transiting these waters have to be factored into operational decision-making rather than overlooked.Now, as to whether this is making the profession less attractive to younger people or compounding the existing shortage of qualified officers %u2014 that is a fair and important question. We have identified a significant pool of young people who wish to, but cannot, gain the required statutory seatime. Through our seafarers%u2019 initiative, we are working with OCIMF and others to increase the availability of seatime to help fill this shortfall. We fervently hope that the current situation in the Middle East Gulf is temporary, and we remain confident that seagoing careers offer a fantastic opportunity for a young person to work in a true meritocracy.Do you believe regulatory timelines are advancing faster than both technological maturity and the necessary global infrastructure required to support alternative fuels at scale?This is something we feel strongly about. You can set ambitious targets, and we support ambition, but the regulatory architecture has to reflect the technological and energy availability, including the infrastructure readiness. This has been illustrated in one of our submissions to MEPC84, using available global energy data. It highlights the magnitude of renewable electricity required to produce zero-carbon fuels such as e-ammonia or e-methanol at the scale needed by international shipping. Replacing the current marine fuel demand would require substantial quantities of renewable energy, raising important questions regarding energy availability, global competition for renewable resources, and the pace at which zero-carbon fuel supply chains can realistically develop.What we have been consistently advocating is the importance of a multi-layered approach to decarbonisation. That means supporting the full portfolio of transitional pathways %u2014 energy-saving devices, wind-assisted propulsion, LNG, sustainable biofuels, Bio-LNG, shore power, carbon capture, and zero-carbon fuels %u2014 not mandating a narrow set of solutions before the fuels, certification schemes, and bunkering infrastructure exist at scale. The industry has already reduced net CO2 emissions by 29% compared to 2008. We are one percentage point away from the 2030 ambition, seven years early. That is not an industry dragging its feet %u2014 that is an industry delivering.The European Union is moving ahead with regional measures such as FuelEU Maritime and the inclusion of shipping in the EU Emissions Trading System. Is INTERTANKO concerned about the risk of fragmented regulation instead of a single global framework under the IMO?That is one of our deepest concerns, and we have been consistently saying so. Shipping is a global industry. A SIRE 2.0 is moving the industry in the right direction. It delivers meaningful improvements in safety insight, inspection quality, and transparency, while providing a more accurate, riskaligned assessment of tanker operations. With continued refinement and a focus on administrative simplification, the framework is well positioned to fully realise its intended benefits for both operators and charterers.Representation of tanker shipowners48 NX