For many the environmental rules set by the IMO are seen as a minimum standard
There is more to environmental compliance than operating a vessel in accordance with whatever rule has come from the International Maritime Organization.
Shipping is increasingly subject to commercial environmental pressure as other companies focus on their own supply chain performance and expect their suppliers to do the same.
For many organisations the environmental rules that have been set by the IMO are seen as a minimum standard, and owners hoping to sound like they have a sound environmental stewardship by stating their vessels are in full compliance and by increasingly sounding like they are in fact doing the minimum needed.
The development of commercial and social pressures comes as the shipping industry faces a make or break year. The IMO is hoping to get its design index sorted out and made mandatory and to develop a market-based measure. These are the two mandatory tools it hopes will demonstrate movement in tackling CO2 emissions from shipping.
