Page 22: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (April 2025)

Regulation Watch

Key Regulatory

Change Across

Maritime in ‘25 [& Beyond] © Guntis/AdobeStock

A tidal wave of new regulations is set to hit the global maritime sector this year, representing fresh, highly-complex compliance challenges. From environmental performance to evolving security and safety standards, the shipping industry faces a raft of new rules intended to ensure safe operations and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Stamatis Fradelos, Vice

President of Regulatory Af airs at ABS, explains what the f ood of new regulations really means, and how operators can navigate through the period of change.

At a global level, the International Maritime Organiza- NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences. A decade ear- tion (IMO) has been publishing important new regulations lier, there were three, and zero in 2003. for the past ? ve years, with others under consultation, but According to a 2023 report , on average a cyberattack many critical updates have only just or are expected to be- within the maritime industry costs the target organization ap- come applicable. They have wide ranging implications that proximately USD$550,000 – up from USD$182,000 in 2022. can be broken down into two key areas: ? rst, environmental Demands for ransom have increased by more than 350%, with protection. This relates to international efforts to improve ship the average ransom payment at USD$3.2m in 2023 – up from design, operational ef? ciency and reduce the world’s reliance USD$3.1m the previous year.

on fossil fuels; therefore, lowering the sector’s environmental In response to intensifying concerns over safety at sea impact. in a digital world, IMO has published several standards in

Second, a focus on maritime safety, speci? cally related to recent years with the aim of enhancing ship safety stan- the use of alternative fuels, as well as the importance of robust dards. These include a focus on improving crew training, cybersecurity protocols. implementing new technologies, and ensuring that interna-

Cyber Threats tional regulations keep pace with innovations such as au-

Cyber protection remains of critical importance for the mar- tonomous shipping.

itime sector. The recent digitalization of ships, combined with growing geopolitical tensions, have created the perfect storm. The Path to Zero

There were reports of a spike in incidents in 2024 but the In July 2023 the IMO adopted the ‘2023 Revised IMO true scale of the impact today is yet to be revealed. Of? cial Strategy on Reduction of GHG Emissions from Ships’, which statistics identi? ed at least 64 cyber incidents targeting mari- included targets to tackle harmful emissions. The targets are time organizations in 2023, according to the Netherlands’ broken down into four key areas: 22 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News • April 2025

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