Our Problems

Why

What is wrong with our world and why?

This blog explains Sustainable Ships’ world and the problems we face. It explores the hidden environmental and systemic challenges within the maritime industry, focusing on its reliance on Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO), the shortcomings of its governing body, the International Maritime Organization (IMO), and the struggles shipowners face in navigating sustainability.

The environmental toll of HFO - Most ships burn Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO), a tar-like byproduct of oil refining, as it is the cheapest option to power ships. This practice releases over a billion tons of CO2 annually — more than Germany — making shipping one of the largest contributors to global greenhouse gases.

The IMO’s weak oversight - The International Maritime Organization, tasked with regulating the industry, has set net-zero targets for 2050, but currently lacks enforcement mechanisms, and is heavily influenced by shipping interests. Its failure to impose meaningful regulations leaves the industry largely unchecked.

The shipowner’s struggle - Sustainability feels like an unaffordable luxury to many shipowners, who are burdened by debt and the pressure to keep costs low. Overwhelmed by complex regulations and an array of expensive, uncertain technological solutions, most shipowners default to inaction, hoping the problem will resolve itself or be addressed by others.


The maritime industry: the global engine of commerce silently driving the planet towards crisis

Every day, the world relies on an invisible force to power its economies, transport its goods, and fuel its insatiable appetite for consumption. This force—the maritime industry—is the engine of globalization, responsible for carrying 90% of the world’s trade. It operates in the shadows, largely unnoticed by consumers, yet its fingerprints are everywhere: in the clothes we wear, the food we eat, and the gadgets we hold in our hands. But this amazing engine of commerce is also driving us toward catastrophe.

While the maritime industry truly is a cornerstone of the global economy, it is also one of the dirtiest players in the book. Every year, it burns through billions of gallons of Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO), a byproduct of oil refining so thick and toxic that it is closer to tar than fuel. This waste product, sometimes laced with chemical residues, powers the world’s container ships as they crisscross the oceans. Believe me, it’s bad.

CO2 is not the only bad boy

Roughly one billion tons of carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere annually by the shipping industry, accounting for about 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions. This is slightly more than all the emissions produced by Germany. That’s not too bad for the global engine of commerce, right? Depends which type of emissions you consider.

Before the mandatory change to low-sulphur fuel oil worldwide, the largest 16 ships in the world produced as much sulphur emissions as all the cars in the world – combined. It took the combined forces of the global shipping industry, represented by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) almost 20 years to make this change. Other types of emissions, such as Nitrogen Oxides (NOX) or Particulate Matters (PM) are barely registered.

Despite this grim reality, shipping is rarely part of the climate conversation. Unlike other polluting industries, it has largely escaped scrutiny, slipping through the cracks of international agreements like the Paris Accord. Its emissions, crossing borders and oceans, are difficult to assign to any one country, leaving governments unwilling to take ownership. A Panamanian-flagged ship carrying goods from China to Europe—is it China’s problem? Europe’s? Panama’s? This ambiguity has shielded the industry from accountability, allowing it to continue business as usual while the planet warms.

The puppet master pulling the strings: IMO

The International Maritime Organization (IMO), the United Nations body tasked with regulating the sector, is finally rising up to the challenge. Its targets for reducing emissions — net zero emissions from international shipping by or around 2050 — were adopted in 2023. The regulatory enforcement measures are toothless however. Ships with low energy efficiency ratings, for instance, are merely asked to submit improvement plans. Whether these plans are implemented or ignored, there are no consequences.

The “lack of ambition” that is quoted by many is inherent in the organization’s design. The IMO, meant to be a neutral regulator, has been co-opted by the very industry it is supposed to govern. A quarter of its delegations include members of the shipping industry, who not only influence discussions but sometimes even represent nations. In extreme cases, like that of the Cook Islands, industry lobbyists have effectively replaced government representatives, ensuring that ambitious climate measures are stymied before they can take root.

The consequences of this regulatory capture are devastating. As countries around the world take steps to decarbonize—investing in renewable energy, phasing out coal, electrifying transport—the maritime industry remains a glaring exception. It is the elephant—or perhaps the oil tanker—in the room. The world cannot hope to limit global warming to below two degrees Celsius while ignoring an industry that burns tar-like fuel and pumps out more pollution than many developed nations.

We can complain all we want. We need shipping. Badly

But the problem extends far beyond emissions. Cheap shipping is the lifeblood of the global consumer economy, enabling the mass production and distribution of goods at unprecedented scales. Ninety percent of the products we consume arrive in containers, from the latest smartphones to the shirts on our backs. Without container shipping, there would be no fast fashion, no year-round mangoes in supermarkets, no “free shipping” on online orders. This system has made consumption more affordable than ever, but it has also driven a race to the bottom. Shipping companies, forced to compete on razor-thin margins, have little choice but to prioritize cost over sustainability.

For the industry’s major players, sustainability is often an afterthought. Many shipowners see environmental measures as a luxury they cannot afford. Struggling with debt from building ever-larger vessels and facing relentless pressure to keep freight costs low, they focus on surviving the next quarter, not on the long-term health of the planet. Even those willing to act face a labyrinth of challenges. Which technologies should they invest in? Hydrogen? Batteries? Shore power? The options are overwhelming, and the costs are staggering. Without clear guidance, most opt for the status quo, hoping the problem will resolve itself—or that someone else will take the lead.

This inertia is not just a failure of imagination; it is a moral failing. Shipping is not an isolated industry. It is part of a system in which everyone—from manufacturers to consumers—plays a role. It is the system that allows fish from the North Sea to be filleted in China before ending up in European supermarkets. It is the system that treats clothing as disposable, encouraging us to throw away shirts after a few wears. It is the system that convinces us to buy more, ship more, consume more, because everything is so cheap. And it is the system that ensures the true costs—environmental destruction, climate change, the loss of ecosystems—are borne not by the companies profiting from it, but by the planet as a whole.

The stakes could not be higher. If the shipping industry continues on its current trajectory, it will lock the world into a future of higher emissions, rising seas, and increasingly severe climate impacts. Imagine the year 2050. Europe has achieved net-zero emissions, its economies powered by clean energy and circular systems. And yet, in the port of Rotterdam, 30,000 ships still arrive annually, belching out a billion tons of CO2. This paradox—a green world sustained by a blackened industry—cannot become our reality.

Where are we heading?

The maritime industry is at a crossroads. It can continue to fuel a system of unchecked consumption and environmental degradation, or it can become part of the solution. The world is demanding change. The question is whether shipping will rise to meet it, or whether it will remain adrift in the tides of complacency.


Decarbonization Infographics


Organizations


References

IMO - International Maritime Organization (IMO) adopts revised strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from international shipping

Impact Investor - Why investors are increasingly betting on greening the maritime fleet

De Correspondent - Deze ronkende motor van de wereldeconomie ontbreekt in alle klimaatplannen

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