A new report titled From Pledges to Practice: Anchoring Safety, Sustainability and Crew Welfare in Vessel Selection was released by RightShip in collaboration with the consulting firm Thetius, which reveals a persistent discrepancy between the industry’s ESG ambitions and how vessels are selected and chartered in practice.
Combining interviews with shipowners, technical managers, and charterers, as well as a survey on the current state, the report finds that most shipowners believe they exceed the minimum compliance requirements for safety, sustainability, and crew welfare. However, only a small percentage are commercially rewarded for it. While 73% of shipowners state they exceed the basic compliance requirements for safety, 60% for sustainability, and 67% for crew welfare, only 27% of charterers offer better terms to higher-performing vessels.
The findings suggest a widening gap between intention and incentive. Many owners who invest in safer and greener vessels often find their efforts are not recognized in the market. Without reliable data, even well-intentioned charterers struggle to identify and reward these efforts.
The report calls on the industry to coordinate around four key actions: rewarding ESG leadership with tangible commercial benefits, defining and standardizing performance criteria for all vessel types, ensuring the reliability, transparency, and integration of ESG data into daily decision-making, and recognizing high-performing vessels both financially and reputationally.
“To bridge the ESG gap, collaboration is required across the value chain, linking safety, sustainability, and crew welfare with a commercial advantage, ensuring a safer, fairer, and more resilient maritime future,” stated Steen Lund, CEO of RightShip.
The report is available here.
