From Compliance to Capability in Environmental Performance

Shipping is no stranger to regulation. New requirements come into force, procedures are updated, training is arranged and vessels adapt. It is a cycle our industry knows very well. But 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.

That makes this year’s World Maritime Day, taking place on 24 September, particularly relevant. The International Maritime Organization has chosen “From Policy to Practice: Powering Maritime Excellence” as its theme for 2026, extending across 2026 and 2027.

For me, the message goes to the heart of one of the biggest challenges facing shipping today. 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.

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 achieve what these regulations are ultimately intended to deliver.

Environmental performance is a very good example. 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.

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 and submit the report.

All of those things are necessary. But completing them does not necessarily mean that sustainability has become part of how we operate or how our people make decisions.

For me, this is where we need to bring the conversation back to people.

We can put increasingly sophisticated technology onboard a vessel. We can collect enormous amounts of data and develop detailed procedures around new systems and fuels. But ultimately, somebody has to understand that technology, operate it safely and make the right decisions based on the information available.

That is why training cannot simply be about preparing a seafarer to meet the requirements of the next regulation. We need our people to understand what is changing, why it is changing and what it means for the work they do every day.

This becomes even more important as the energy transition gathers pace. Alternative fuels and new propulsion technologies will introduce different operational and safety requirements, and our seafarers need to be prepared for them.

We cannot expect people to make this transition successfully simply by giving them another manual or asking them to complete another course. They need practical knowledge, experience and the confidence to apply what they have learned.

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.

Technology and data are important parts of that picture. We are collecting more environmental and operational information than ever before, but collecting data is not the same as using it effectively. Its real value comes when we understand what it is telling us and turn that insight into action.

Why is one vessel performing differently from another? What can we learn from that? Is there an operational adjustment that could improve efficiency? Is there something that should be incorporated into training or shared with another vessel?

When we start asking these questions, reporting becomes much more than a regulatory requirement. It becomes a tool for continuous improvement.

And this cannot be a one-way conversation from shore to ship. Our seafarers are often the first people to understand whether a procedure works in practice, where a technology is helping and where challenges remain. We need to listen to that experience and create a proper feedback loop between ship and shore. That feedback can then help us improve our training, procedures and operational practices.

For a global ship manager such as OSM Thome, our scale gives us an opportunity to take those lessons further. What we learn on one vessel can potentially benefit many others. Training can evolve as our experience grows, good practices can be shared across fleets, and at the same time we can recognise that different vessels, trades and customers will have different requirements.

This, for me, is where the real transition from compliance to capability takes place.

It happens when environmental performance becomes part of how we think, how we train, how we operate and how we make decisions every day — rather than something we address primarily because another regulation or deadline is approaching.

Compliance will always be essential. It gives us standards, accountability and direction. But it should be our starting point, not the limit of our ambition.

Ultimately, the transition towards more sustainable shipping will depend just as much on people as it does on fuels, technology and regulation. Policy can set the direction and technology can provide us with increasingly powerful tools, but it is our people — equipped with the right knowledge, practical skills, confidence and support — who will turn that direction into meaningful and lasting environmental performance.

Julia Anastasiou is Chief Crew Management Officer at OSM Thome.

The opinions expressed herein are the author's and not necessarily those of The Maritime Executive.