1. Game for a laugh
2. Corrosion issues
3. Green fuels concerns
4. SEAFit survey
5. Women in shipping
6. Seafarer wellbeing
7. Nextwave initiative
8. Energy transition
9. Regulation standoff
10. New COO
11. A rock and a hard place
12. Green training
13. Collaboration
14. State immunity
15. Green corridors
Notices & Miscellany
Readersâ responses to our articles are very welcome and, where suitable, will be reproduced. Write to: contactus@themaritimeadvocate.com
1. Game for a laugh
By Michael Grey
In this bleak and miserable season, you need a bit of light relief and I was grateful to be recently introduced to a Scottish chief engineer who seemed to provide just what the doctor ordered. Mr. Glencannon is probably not your ideal exemplar of an upstanding British officer, being an alcoholic, unprincipled and violent ruffian, ministering to the propulsion machinery of a London registered tramp, crewed mostly by misfits united only by their mutual dislike of one another. His disgraceful adventures, which took place in the early part of the 20th Century, were chronicled in the now defunct but famous Saturday Evening Post and enjoyed a huge following for more than twenty years. Glencannon was the invention of one Guy Gilpatric, an American WWI fighter pilot who gave up his advertising agency in the 1920s to live in the South of France and become Americaâs highest paid short story writer. Goodness knows what possessed him to pick on this particular maritime genre for his subject matter (maybe he had bumped into some shoregoing British tramp seafarers on his wanderings on the Mediterranean shore) but he made it a long lasting and lucrative topic.
I was recently lent an omnibus volume of these columns and they are very funny, if politically incorrect to our more sensitive souls. I had never encountered this Caledonian villain before; who resembles a rather more extreme below-decks version of Para Handy, who has lived rather longer in our imagination, although of much the same period. His creator- Hugh Foulis aka Neil Munro – was also a non-mariner but somehow managed to capture with an apparent authenticity the rackety lives of those running the puffers on the West Coast of Scotland. But he also successfully translated these creatures of his fertile imagination into a popular weekly column in the Glasgow Evening News, which had the punters eagerly anticipating the next misadventures of the skipper of the Vital Spark and his motley crew.
Long-running partworks in newspapers and periodicals, which it is worth reminding ourselves, made the fortunes of Dickens, Trollope and Thackeray among many others, have sadly disappeared. These unenlightened days we have blogs and podcasts, which are surely much more transient. But also something else that has evaporated into history, one might suggest, is any passing knowledge or interest in the minds of the general public in maritime matters.
To us in the 21st century UK or US, it would seem quite incongruous that a Glaswegian clerk or Nebraskan farmer could be able to read the weekly adventures of these seafaring ruffians with any comprehension, let alone fall about laughing at the actions of their heroes. When the late lamented weekly Fairplay launched as a journal for the general public, rather than maritime readers, in the 1880s, it contained a regular instalment of cautionary tales, by an anonymous âSaltingsâ; mostly about the sad fate of those buying shipping shares and being cheated by evil ship managers. And maybe it is the disappearance of this public understanding, which marginalises maritime matters to a wholly specialist audience, that it is rather depressing. This maybe leads us to another regrettable element of our modern times, which is the disappearance of any light relief from the pages of our periodicals.
Maybe I need to read more widely, but everything from professional journals to weekly political papers are devoid of any wit or humour. Even gossip and rumour, a rich source of reader responses (mostly furious) in all the journals and magazines which I read, have vanished â everything is so blooming worthy and serious. It is a sad fact that these publications these days are put together with one man (person ed) and a dog and the dog serves as the art editor, but it would be nice to have some reason to smile occasionally. The maritime world in which we inhabit has always been a rich source of the improbable, but these days it tends to go unremarked.
A permanent part of my memory bank includes the true story of a chap who encountered a wild panther in a double bottom tank of an anchor handler in a Singapore dock. Or the pilot who found himself alone on the bridge when approaching the berth because the master was fighting with the mate on the forecastle. And what makes them even better is their veracity. It was only last week that some canoeist was eaten by a whale, and you donât get better than that. Fortunately, the taste appeared to disagree with the cetacean and like Jonah, he was spat out, transforming a potential tragedy into a much-needed laugh in our bleak lives.
Electric lighthousesÂ
The Captain is trying to get some order into all these port calls!
One needs to crave the indulgence of both Editor and readers for a word of support to that estimable organisation Trinity House, whose purchase of a small fleet of Tesla electric vehicles featured momentarily in a diatribe in last weekâs Spectator magazine, in which they were inveighing against government waste. Linking this investment with grants to Irish pop groups, world-class DEI nonsense and the provision of government-supplied e-bikes for welfare claimants, seemed to me grossly unfair, and while the Corporation is well able to look after itself, TH does have to be greener than green as it fronts up to the questing NGO activists in IMO meetings.
These blighters are always looking for targets for their bile. And while my own preference is to have a large diesel under the bonnet, it is worth noting that long before Greenpeace was a spark in the fevered imagination of its founder and young Miliband had graduated from (non-disposable) nappies, Trinity House, along with its fellow authorities, was experimenting with ingenious wind and solar devices to power up its reliable and utterly dependable aids to navigation. Mr Muskâs vehicles clearly ticked the right boxes among the Fraternity and criticism should be directed elsewhere.
Michael Grey is former editor of Lloydâs List.
2. Corrosion issues
Germany-based protective coatings innovator Steelpaint  is encouraging shipyards and port authorities with steel assets to prioritise surface preparation, advising that skimping on this critical step in the application process is leading to premature coating failures, costly repairs, and increased safety risks.
The advisory follows a recent request to apply its single-component, moisture-cure Stelcatec to a steel structure that had not been properly prepared, with high levels of rust and contamination still present.
“We made it clear that without proper surface preparation tools to remove rust and corrosion, and subsequent freshwater washing to disperse salts and other contaminants, there was no point in applying the paint,â said Dmitry Gromilin, Steelpaintâs Chief Technical Supervisor.
“We have seen too many cases where companies have invested in advanced coating systems, only to have them fail prematurely due to inadequate surface preparation. Not only does this lead to accelerated corrosion, and the need for costly reapplication, but any investment in advanced corrosion protection is wasted.â
Gromilin said: âOne of the most common misconceptions is that a quick wipe-down or solvent wash is sufficient. In reality, contaminants such as rust, grease, salt, and moisture create an invisible barrier between the steel and the coating. Without thorough surface preparation, adhesion is compromised, and the coating will inevitably fail. When this happens, it is not just the paint that deteriorates â steel structures will suffer rapid corrosion, leading to structural weaknesses, safety risks, and costs.â
Steelpaint also reports incidents where asset owners have used low pressure water jet washing to prepare areas prior to coating applications.
âWe have seen operators using 300-400bar low pressure water jets to prepare larger, heavily corroded areas, such as tank tops. At the very minimum, 2000bar ultra high-pressure water blasting should be carried out. Anything less means any corrosion protection will be ineffective. Surfaces must be properly prepared,â Gromilin said.
He added that preparation challenges are compounded by environmental conditions, such as saltwater environments, high humidity, fluctuating temperatures, and condensation, which can impact application.
This is especially the case when traditional two-component systems are used, which require precise application windows. In tropical climates, for example, dew point restrictions often mean that conventional coatings can only be applied during specific hours of the day.
Steelpaint Director Frank Mueller said by highlighting the importance of this critical preparatory step, âsteel asset owners can get the most out of their corrosion protection spend”.
âThe best coating system in the world will not perform if applied to contaminated, rusty or inadequately prepared steel surfaces,â he said. âCutting corners in preparation only leads to greater costs down the line. By adopting best practice in steel preparation and selecting coatings that offer greater flexibility in real-world conditions, steel assets can remain protected for longer, reducing operational and maintenance costs in the long term.â
While acknowledging that the perfect surface preparation is seldom achieved, Steelpaintâs Stelcatec system has been developed to be applied to the minimum SSPC SP2 standard using non-powered hand tools such as wire brushes, scrapers, and sandpaper. This is the minimal standard.
The one-component Stelcatec coating can also tolerate light flash rust and can be applied on damp surfaces, significantly reducing downtime for critical infrastructure such as cargo tanks, ship-to-shore cranes, and other steel assets operating where extended maintenance shutdowns are not an option. It also provides longer corrosion protection at a lower film thickness, and can be applied at 98% relative humidity (RH) at temperatures ranging -5°C to 50°C.
3. Green fuels concerns
Plans being drafted at the IMO run the risk of creating a huge new market for deforestation-driving biofuels like palm and soy, while also putting pressure on vegetable oil prices according to Transport & Environment.
Nearly a third of global shipping could run on biofuels in 2030, new T&E analysis shows, up from less than 1% today. Under the current draft of the International Maritime Organizationâs (IMO) green fuels law, this could actually exacerbate climate change and put pressure on global food supplies.
The study by Cerulogy on behalf of T&E shows that palm and soy oil would likely make up nearly two-thirds of the biodiesel used to power the shipping industry in 2030 as they represent the cheapest fuels to comply. This poses a serious climate problem, warns T&E, as palm and soy are responsible for two to three times more carbon emissions than even the dirtiest shipping fuels today, once deforestation and land clearance are taken into account.
The fuel-intensive shipping industry would need vast amounts of farmland. 34 million hectares in 2030 – the total area of Germany – will be needed to produce enough crops to meet the increased biofuels demand from the shipping industry.
This could have serious impacts on food supplies. Land that could be used for farming would need to be converted to growing biofuel crops, while burning vegetable oil in ships will deprive supermarkets of a staple food item. 300 mn bottles of vegetable oil could be diverted to powering ships every day in 2030, according to T&Eâs analysis.
Constance Dijkstra, shipping manager at T&E, said: âFueling cargo ships with deforestation is a terrible idea. Burning crops for fuel is bad for the planet and bad for global food security. The IMO should consider the climate impact of bad biofuels to avoid doing more harm than good.â
Shipping companies like MSC and CMA-CGM have invested in so-called waste biofuels like used cooking oil (UCO) and animal fats. But waste biofuels will likely be able to cover just a small proportion of shippingâs projected biofuels demand as their availability is limited. For example, a cargo ship travelling between China and Brazil would alone require the yearly waste oil from more than 2000 McDonaldâs restaurants, while to run it on animal fats you would need over 1 million pigs.
Shipping companies including the German shipping giant Hapag-Lloyd and a number of NGOs today called on the IMO to exclude unsustainable biofuels from its list of green alternatives to traditional fossil fuels.
T&E calls on the IMO to agree on a clear definition of what constitutes a âzeroâ and ânear zeroâ emission fuel, to exclude deforestation-linked biofuels, cap food-based biofuels and to incentivise green e-fuels made from green hydrogen.
4. SEAFiT survey
Which are the key wellness factors for the maritime industry? This was the question in the latest 2024 SEAFiT Crew Survey
The 2024 SEAFiT Crew survey is an annual initiative by SAFETY4SEA, offering comprehensive insights into seafarer welfare through feedback from thousands of crew members globally. It serves as a vital tool for industry stakeholders to address challenges and enhance crew satisfaction and performance.
The survey took place during Q1 & Q2 of 2024, asking people onboard and ashore to provide feedback on how they perceive several wellness/wellbeing factors regarding their work and life at sea. In particular, participants were asked to answer questions that cover the following key aspects of crew welfare: Wellness; Communication on Physical/Mental health; Wellbeing Factors onboard; Happiness issues; Physical Wellbeing issues; Mental Health Barriers and; Social Wellbeing Barriers.
The survey questionnaire was answered by a total of 121,312 seafarers, serving on board 1,614 ships. The majority of nationalities came from Asia and Europe and the majority of participants were from Philippines (70.1%). Other countries with high participation were Greece, Georgia and Ukraine. The ship category that involved the majority of participants was âTankersâ, as they form the 67 % of the fleet involved.
 5. Women in shipping
The âRewriting Women into Maritime Historyâ programme aims to uncover the work of trailblazing women, past and present. The SHE SEES exhibition showcases their stories along with portraits of women working in the industry today. Building on its UK launch, the programme is going global to collect stories of women around the world, starting with Greece, the Netherlands and India. Female harbour pilots are invited to share their stories as part of the participatory photography element: SHE SEES HER VOICE.
Rewriting Women into Maritime History led by Lloydâs Register and Lloydâs Register Foundation to uncover and showcase the critical role of women in the maritime sector, past and present â has entered a new, international phase.
Launched in the UK and Ireland in 2023, the programme uses archival material held by maritime organisations, as well as oral histories to piece together their stories, showcasing them publicly through the SHE SEES exhibition. Using a mix of striking visuals, art and storytelling, SHE SEES debuted at the home of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) during London International Shipping Week 2023, and is currently on tour, with a residency at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard until August 2025.
By highlighting the expertise, experience and leadership of women, the programme helps reframe the narrative of a predominantly masculine industry and encourages more people to take up the opportunities offered by a career in the maritime sector today.  IMO figures show that women currently account for 29% of the overall industry workforce, and just 2% of seafarers in the crewing workforce.
Now, Rewriting Women into Maritime History and the SHE SEES exhibition are looking to expand their impact internationally, by telling the stories of women working in the maritime sector in another nine countries around the world. These stories will be captured over the next three years, starting in 2025 with Greece, the Netherlands and India.
The contemporary component of SHE SEES is led by portrait photographer Emilie Sandy who is encouraging more women to get involved and share their own stories via the participatory photography element, SHE SEES HER VOICE. This will enable a broader range of women in the sector to connect and be represented, working with a photographer to empower them to share their own stories, and to shape and control their own narrative.
SHE SEES HER VOICE is currently seeking eight female harbour pilots from around the world to share their stories. For more information and to get involved, visit the Lloydâs Register Foundation Heritage Centre website, or contact hello@samacreatives.com.
As well as launching the international phase of the Rewriting Women into Maritime History programme, Lloydâs Register Foundation has also released a new film produced in collaboration with Historic England uncovering the history of women in shipbuilding in the UK.
The Women in Shipbuilding film serves as another example of how illuminating the hidden history of women in maritime engineering can inspire a new generation to pursue a career in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). Watch it now on YouTube.
6. Seafarer wellbeing
WiseStella, the Singapore-based maritime learning provider, has unveiled a pioneering crew wellbeing assessment tool that aims to change the way in which shipping companies address the increasing mental and physical health issues faced by seafarers.
Amidst growing concern about workplace harassment, bullying, stress and fatigue, the Wise Well-Being module has been developed in collaboration with HR experts and psychologists to identify and address a number of important issues, ultimately enhancing seafarer safety, contentment and retention.
âSeafarers often operate in isolated environments with limited access to mental health support,â said WiseStellaâs Chief Executive Officer Ferhat Abul.
âMany seafarers are reluctant to speak out about their struggles, particularly in cases of bullying and harassment. They need a voice under a cloak of anonymity that helps them, and their employers, take appropriate action. Itâs about creating a proactive approach to seafarer wellbeing.â
The new Wise Well-Being module is unlike existing seafarer happiness or wellbeing indices in that it has been designed for direct use by shipping companies, rather than third parties, delivering more precise data that reflects their specific workplace conditions.
Through an interactive digital survey, with questions based on input from leading psychologists and health specialists, Wise Well-Being measures the physical, mental, social, and intellectual health of a companyâs workforce.
âResponses enable HR teams to better identify problem areas and implement more targeted training and resources to foster a safer and more supportive, inclusive working environment. It provides shipping companies with an easy-to-use and anonymous platform to better understand the physical and mental wellbeing of their crews,â said Abul.
WiseStella Board Advisor Dr Rafet Emek Kurt, an expert in maritime safety and risk, specialising in the role of human factors in shipping, added: âBullying and harassment at sea are more common than many realise, but the hierarchical nature of the maritime sector makes it difficult for victims to report misconduct,â he said, referring to a case where a qualified and competent female crew member was refused permission to board her ship simply because of her gender.
A 2022 WISTA Survey found that 60% of female respondents experienced gender-based discrimination onboard ship, two thirds said that they had experienced harassment and intimidation from male co-workers, and one-in-four reported that physical and sexual harassment was common, involving intrusions on their privacy.
âThere are many cases where seafarers, male and female, experience verbal, psychological, sexual and physical abuse,â said Kurt. âThis leads directly to poor mental health, potential lawsuits and reputational damage, and significantly increases the risk of accidents at sea.
âWe need a safer, more inclusive industry, and have to address these problems head-on by integrating anonymous well-being assessments and anonymous reporting procedures into the overall safety management system. Shipowners have a duty of care to improve the wellbeing of their seafarers.â
Yaren Cemre Gulcek, Clinical Psychologist at Parla Consultancy, emphasised the importance of addressing psychological distress at sea: âThrough my work with seafarers, I have witnessed firsthand how prolonged stress, isolation, and workplace harassment take a toll on mental health and overall performance. Psychological distress at sea doesnât just affect individuals, it weakens team dynamics, increases the likelihood of human error, and compromises safety.â
Gulcek said the Wise Well-Being module is a âcrucial step towards addressing these challengesâ empowering shipping companies with the tools they need to create a âculture of trust and psychological safetyâ.
Tineke Zoet, a certified transformational coach specialising in maritime workplaces, added that effective leadership is paramount if the industry is to foster a safer, productive working environment.
âIn my experience as a seafarer and now working closely with shipsâ crews, I have seen how unmanaged conflict, cultural differences, and lack of psychological safety lead to frustration, stress, and even dangerous working conditions. It takes intentional human-centred leadership, clear communication, proactive listening, and support to create a more positive, inclusive environment where people can thrive. This will ultimately make shipping safer and more attractive to new entrants.â
Future developments will include direct access to mental health professionals, awareness training programmes, and personalised wellbeing recommendations based on survey responses. The company is also working with academic institutions to ensure that the platform is continuously updated and improved to meet seafarer and industry needs.
7. NextWave initiative
A new initiative led by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) aims to address the global seafarer shortage while creating career opportunities for aspiring seafarers from developing nations.
The NextWave Seafarers Project was formally launched with the signing of a Letter of Agreement between Kamal M. Al Junaidi, Permanent Representative of Saudi Arabia to the International Maritime Organization and Jose Matheickal, Director of the Technical Cooperation and Implementation Division (TCID) of IMO.
The signing was witnessed by IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez, with senior representatives from the Transport General Authority (TGA) of KSA and Bahri Shipping Line in attendance.
Running from 2025 to 2026, the NextWave Seafarers Project will provide 20 cadets from Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS) with one year of onboard training through Bahri Shipping Line, one of Saudi Arabiaâs leading maritime companies. The goal is to develop a scalable training model that can be adopted globally, encouraging more countries and shipping lines to participate.
The project aims to:
Establish a sustainable, onboard cadet-training framework to develop, upskill, and retain future seafarers;
Address key barriers preventing LDCs and SIDS cadets from entering the industry, including access to training placements and financial support;
Promote gender diversity by actively encouraging women cadets to join the programme; and
Showcase the initiative as a pilot model that can be expanded and replicated worldwide.
With 1.9 million seafarers ensuring the movement of over 80% of global trade, the maritime industry faces an urgent workforce challenge, particularly a shortage of officers, as demands on maritime transport grow.
Through its cooperative framework between IMO, Member States and shipping companies, the NextWave Seafarers initiative provides a proactive solution by creating a structured talent pipeline and a steady influx of skilled professionals into the sector.
IMO Secretary-General Arsenio DominguezâŻstressed the importance of strengthening the maritime workforce: âThe future of the global shipping industry depends on its people, and this initiative has the potential to transform maritime careers for young seafarers worldwide.â
Kamal M. Al Junaidi, Permanent Representative of Saudi Arabia to the IMO, highlighted the Projectâs broader vision: âThrough this initiative, we aim not only to train the next generation of seafarers but also to lead and inspire other nations and shipping companies to adopt similar programmes.â
The NextWave Seafarers Project invites IMO Member States, training institutions, and shipping companies to collaborate in expanding this initiative and building a skilled, diverse, and resilient maritime workforce.
Designed as aâŻproof of concept, the projectâs outcomes will be shared with IMO Member States to shape future policy recommendations, enhance global seafarer training frameworks, and contribute to long-term maritime workforce planning.
IMO will issue a circular letter in due course requesting nominations of cadets from LDCs and SIDS through their respective maritime administrations. The circular letter will explain the criteria for selection and mode of participation in the training programme.
8. Energy transition
DNV has released the 2025 UK Energy Transition Outlook (ETO) report. DNVâs third edition of the UK ETO presents the results from its independent model of the UKâs energy system. It covers the period through to 2050 and forecasts the energy mix, supply & demand, and provides insights on how the energy transition is developing in the UK.
By 2035, the UK will have completely decarbonized its electricity system, but reductions associated with home heating and transport will prevent net zero emissions. The country will fail to achieve Clean Power 2030, 2035 Nationally Determined Contribution, and legally binding net zero by 2050 targets.
Energy demand will fall by a quarter up to 2050 as electrification takes hold, while electricity demand will grow by a factor of 2.3. Positive steps towards net zero are being made, but mixed policy signals are leading to inherent system inertia, which is preventing the energy transition from accelerating, the report suggests.
While the future of carbon capture and storage is promising, the UKâs hydrogen market needs significant government support to avoid production rates falling below 2030 targets.
Energy Transition Outlook UK 2025
9. Regulation standoff
The UK and US have declined to sign a global AI declaration, highlighting growing divisions over international regulation. While AI innovation accelerates, the lack of coordinated safeguards raises concerns about emerging risks – particularly for businesses and the insurance sector that supports them.
Mark Kirby, Professional Services Director at Intersys, comments: âThe UK and USâs refusal to sign the global AI declaration is a clear signal that national and financial interests are being prioritised over collective security. While AI innovation continues at an astonishing pace, the absence of robust international safeguards poses serious risks – not just for businesses, but for the insurance industry that underpins them.
AIâs ability to process and generate vast amounts of data creates new exposure points. Bias in training models can lead to unfair or inaccurate decision-making, presenting challenges in underwriting and claims assessments. Meanwhile, the rise of AI-driven fraud – such as deepfake-enabled scams and hyper-personalised phishing attacks – demands urgent attention from insurers assessing cyber risk.
Compounding this is the threat of AI âdata poisoning,â where malicious actors manipulate datasets to distort AI outputs. Without proper oversight, we risk an environment where fraudulent claims become harder to detect, identity verification is undermined, and businesses face an evolving cyber threat landscape.
The insurance industry must prepare for these challenges now. The failure to establish international AI standards only increases exposure, making it imperative for insurers to integrate AI risk management into policies, fraud detection, and cyber liability coverage. With AI continuing to shape the business world, insurers cannot afford to wait for governments to catch up.â
10. New COO
Law firm HFW has appointed Aravinda Subasinghe as its new Chief Operating Officer. Aravinda has 20 yearsâ experience in the professional services sector and joins HFW from Deloitte, where he was COO of its Strategy, Risk, and Transactions business across North and South Europe, comprising more than 9,000 people across 28 countries. He joins HFWâs London office as a member of the firmâs global Management Board.
Jeremy Shebson, Managing Partner, HFW comments:âAravinda has an outstanding track record of helping professional services organisations translate strategy into action, and of driving profitable growth and delivering major projects across a wide range of business areas including risk, compliance, operations, technology, and property. We were particularly impressed by Aravindaâs resolute focus on clients and people,which is exactly how we work at HFW, and believe he will be a real asset in helping us achieve our goal of establishing HFW as the worldâs leading sector-focused law firm.â
Aravinda Subasinghe, said:âIâm excited to be joining HFW, a firm that has distinguished itself as one of the fastest growing and most successful law firms in the market over recent years. HFWâs clear and ambitious strategy, underpinned by a sector-first approach, truly sets it apart in an increasingly competitive legal industry. Iâm looking forward to working with the Board and everyone at HFW to help drive further growth, and to ensure the firm continues to thrive amid evolving client needs, technological advancements, and market dynamics.â
11. A rock and a hard place
The US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit recently considered the case of Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company addressing the issue of whether the Jones Act would protect the companyâs business from foreign competition in the offshore windfarm industry. Great Lakes is a dredging company that lays scour protection – layers of rock placed around a coastal structureâs foundation to protect from erosion.
For details see the Court of Appeals website.
12. Green Training
IMOâs Sub-Committee on Human Element, Training and Watchkeeping (HTW) has agreed on draft interim generic guidelines for training seafarers working on ships powered by alternative fuels and new technologies. These draft guidelines will be submitted to the Maritime Safety Committee for approval in June 2025.
Meeting in London from 10 to 14 February, the Sub-Committee recognized the industryâs growing need for such guidance due to the increasing use of alternative fuels and the associated safety risks. The Sub-Committee agreed that such guidance should be provided through both:
â˘Â   generic interim guidelines applicable across the whole industry and relevant to all alternative fuels and new technologies; and
â˘Â   individual sets of fuel/technology-specific interim guidelines, closely aligned with safety provisions developed by other IMO bodies.
With the draft interim generic guidelines finalized, the Sub-Committee has now begun developing specific training guidelines for seafarers working on methyl/ethyl alcohol-fuelled ships.
This effort will continue inter-session under the Correspondence Group on the Development of Training Provisions for Seafarers on Ships using Alternative Fuels and New Technologies.
Development of fuel-specific training guidelines
The Correspondence Group has been tasked with developing interim guidelines for training seafarers, including individual sets of guidelines for:
â˘Â   the use of methyl/ethyl alcohol as fuel;
â˘Â   the use of ammonia as fuel;
â˘Â   hydrogen fuel cell powered ships;
â˘Â   the use of LPG as fuel;
â˘Â   the use of hydrogen as fuel; and
â˘Â   battery powered ships.
These will take into account existing interim safety guidelines for ships using methyl/ethyl alcohol, ammonia and LPG as fuel, as well as hydrogen fuel cell powered ships. The Correspondence Group will submit a report on its progress to the Sub-Committee at the forthcoming 12th session of the Sub-Committee (HTW 12).
13. Collaboration
A collaboration agreement has been signed between classification society ClassNK and maritime data and technology firm OceanScore to link the latterâs integrated solution for ClassNK ZETA (Zero Emissions Transition Accelerator) that enables users and related stakeholders to access visualized Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) and Data Collection System (DCS) data.
Shipping companies using the ClassNK ZETA service will gain seamless access to OceanScoreâs market-leading Compliance Manager under the agreement, which was inked on 20 January at ClassNKâs head office in Tokyo, Japan.
Compliance Manager helps to efficiently manage the commercial processes around the European emissions regulations and enhances risk management by providing comprehensive transparency.
Through this collaboration, data that has been submitted to ClassNK for verification will be transferred from ClassNK ZETA to OceanScoreâs Compliance Manager. The data transfer will, once permitted by the customer, be automated and customized to secure real-time, appropriate and reliable processes.
âWe are thrilled to further expand our network with a highly esteemed partner and global leader like ClassNK. This collaboration will provide further efficiency and transparency benefits to our growing customer base whenever they use verification services with ClassNK,â says Albrecht Grell, Managing Director of OceanScore.
14. State immunity
In a recent Hill Dickinson insight, the law firm discusses Issue estoppel and state immunity: arbitration exception applies in enforcement proceedings against Russia – Hulley Enterprises Ltd & others -v- The Russian Federation [2025] EWCA Civ 108.
The Court of Appeal has held that findings by the Dutch Court that the Russian Federation (Russia) had agreed in writing to submit its disputes with the claimants in this case to arbitration meant that Russia could not re-argue that same issue before the English courts in an attempt to challenge the English Courtsâ jurisdiction.
15. Green corridors
Under current and prospective policies from the IMO, EU, and US, the business case for green shipping corridors could improve markedly – but not sufficiently – according to a new report published by UMAS, UCL and the Global Maritime Forum (GMF).
Titled âBuilding a Business Case for Green Shipping Corridorsâ, the report looks at the significant commercial challenges associated with green shipping corridors, how these could change under future regulation, and what additional support may be needed to ensure the viability of such projects.
Green shipping corridor projects – which focus on initiating the maritime value chain for scalable and sustainable fuels such as hydrogen-derived e-ammonia and e-methanol – have thus far faced an insurmountable cost gap. Against the backdrop of an evolving global and regional policy landscape, the business case for such first mover initiatives will begin to improve, but targeted support will be needed to ensure uptake of e-fuels.
The report emphasises the important role of regulation in enabling shippingâs energy transition and the wider implications for the industry operating under a future compliance regime where fleet and bunkering strategies will need to become more sophisticated. Policies such as the IMOâs new global fuel standard, the EUâs Emissions Trading System (ETS), and the US Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) will play a critical role in reducing costs for green shipping corridors but fall short of fully bridging the gap between the cost of e-fuels and the cheapest solution to meet compliance.
The report explores the potential opportunities and options that could be available for green shipping corridors in three different shipping sectorsâgas carriers, container ships and bulk carriersâto highlight how public and private efforts could accelerate early adoption of e-fuels. The scenarios explored reveal that while biofuels and blue ammonia are the lowest cost options over the near term, scalable e-fuels such as e-ammonia are expected to become increasingly competitive as production costs fall and compliance requirements tighten, indicating that targeted support would only be required over the short term.
With 62 green shipping corridors initiatives already announced, support for these early mover projects could enable significant strides to be made in the development of sustainable fuel production and in investment in the storage, bunkering, and port infrastructure required to decarbonise the wider shipping industry later in the transition.
Deniz Aymer, Senior Consultant at UMAS, commented, âUpcoming regulation will shift the business case for green shipping corridors – as well as shaping how the wider shipping industry approaches compliance. To fully bridge the cost gap, however, targeted support for e-fuels is needed. But this short-term support will pay future dividends by ensuring that scalable and sustainable fuels are available to the wider industry when needed.â
Dr Nishatabbas Rehmatulla, Principal Research Fellow at the UCL Energy Institute, stated, âThe findings of this study make it very clear that without clear demand signals and additional public support over the near term, closing the cost gap on e-fuels will be challenging. Without this support and guardrails on fuels, some of the announced green shipping corridors are at risk of failing to fulfil their crucial role as first movers, and stalling before implementation or gravitating towards least-cost compliance options.â
Jesse Fahnestock, Director of Decarbonisation at the Global Maritime Forum, commented, “The most important role Green Corridors can play is to coordinate and kick-start the value chain for tomorrow’s shipping fuels. Participants in corridors will need to be creative in how they leverage a range of regulations, but it’s clear from this work that the scale of their impact will depend on policymakers delivering targeted support for e-fuels.”
To accelerate progress, the report outlines actionable solutions for industry and policymakers. It highlights how business models will need to adapt under incoming regulation and how long-term commitments from cargo owners and ship owners and operators can help de-risk investment and drive e-fuel adoption. Strategic partnerships across the value chain will be essential for sharing risks and rewards, ensuring a more equitable cost distribution while advancing green shipping corridor projects.
Despite this, the business case for green shipping corridors will remain challenging without targeted measures to support the uptake of e-fuels. Mechanisms such as Contracts for Difference (CFDs), e-fuel auctions, and/or multipliers for overcompliance with e-fuels will be crucial to the short-term viability of these initiatives. Economic support could be underwritten by the IMO through revenues raised by a levy on shipping industry emissions. In the absence of a global levy, however, national governments may need to step in to directly support corridor projects
Click here to download the report: https://www.umas.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Building-a-Business-Case-for-Green-Shipping-Corridors.pdf
Notices and Miscellany
Honours for bravery
IMO is currently accepting nominations for exceptional acts of bravery performed at sea during the period 1 March 2024 to 28 February 2025.
The honours, which are awarded annually, provide international recognition to those who, at the risk of losing their own life, have performed acts of exceptional bravery in an attempt to save life at sea or prevent/mitigate damage to the marine environment. Such acts of bravery may also involve extraordinary seamanship skills in very difficult conditions or any other display of outstanding courage.
The nomination form can be submitted by any IMO Member State, intergovernmental organization in cooperation with IMO or non-governmental organization in consultative status with IMO.
Deadline for submissions: 15 April 2025. For more information, and the nomination form, please visit: https://www.imo.org/en/OurWork/ERO/Pages/IMOHonoursExceptionalBravery.aspx
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And finally,
With thanks to Paul Dixon
Words To Live By
Having a bad day? Well, better you than me.
If you canât beat ’em, well then you’re just not trying hard enough, slacker.
Ever notice how people who tell you to calm down are the ones that got you mad in the first place?
Happiness is where you find it. Perhaps you should look someplace else.
Start each day off on the right foot, unless you kick better with your left.
I make it a policy to never take work home with me…unless office supplies count.
If not for stress, I’d have no energy at all.
Women don’t need the remote control…we have the actual control.
Give a man a fish, and he’ll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish, and the old buzzard won’t be hanging around, underfoot, all weekend.
I’d eat more fruits and vegetables if they tasted more like microwaved burritos.
Thanks for Reading the Maritime Advocate online
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