Shipping Must Move Beyond Compliance Toward Everyday Environmental Capability

The useful part

Nicolae Gainuse Published Sep 27, 2026 10:11 AM by Julia Anastasiou Shipping is no stranger to regulation. New requirements come into force, procedures are updated, training is arranged and vessels adapt. The scale and pace of the environmental transition we are now facing means that responding to each new requirement as it arrives is no longer enough.

How it works

• We have spent decades building strong regulatory frameworks, but regulation alone does not deliver change.
• The real question is how we translate policy into what happens every day onboard our vessels and across our shore-based operations.
• The danger is that, with so much happening at once, we begin to view environmental performance primarily through the mechanics of compliance: update the procedure, complete the training, collect the data...
• Completing them does not necessarily mean that sustainability has become part of how we operate or how our people make decisions.
• We can collect enormous amounts of data and develop detailed procedures around new systems and fuels.

What to take from it

rather than something we address primarily because another regulation or deadline is approaching. The same applies ashore, where superintendents, crew management teams and other colleagues supporting our vessels need to understand this changing operating environment well enough to make informed decisions and, importantly, to give our seafarers the support they need. That makes this year's World Maritime Day, taking place on 24 September, particularly relevant.

Example or evidence

• As we move towards decarbonisation and more sustainable shipping, compliance will of course remain essential, but we also need to look beyond compliance and build the long-term capability required to...
• For me, the message goes to the heart of one of the biggest challenges facing shipping today.
• Shipowners and ship managers are already navigating tighter emissions requirements, efficiency targets and increasing reporting obligations, while technology continues to change the way vessels are operated.
• At the same time, we are preparing for a future involving a broader mix of alternative fuels and propulsion systems, each bringing different operational, technical and safety considerations.

Details worth keeping

Organization has chosen "From Policy to Practice: Environmental performance is a very good example. For me, this is where we need to bring the conversation back to people.

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