Vessel hardening is widely understood in principle and guidance exists. Equipment is installed and procedures are documented. However, consistency is the problem.BMP Maritime Security (MS), launched in 2025, clearly sets out how threats should be identified, risks assessed and mitigations selected including vessel hardening as a function of a layered defence system. The difficulty lies in how reliably those measures are applied during normal operations, particularly when conditions are uncertain and attention is divided.Maritime security can no longer be treated as a geographically bounded issue. Threats develop across regions once considered predictable and evolve quickly. Piracy, criminal boarding, drones, loitering […]

After several turbulent years, the marine offshore support market has settled into a period of relative stability. Vessel supply remains tight, day rates are strong, and utilisation is high. Stability is not a signal to pause improvement. It is the moment to convert data into day-to-day practice that cuts fuel, lowers emissions, and builds habits that will endure when conditions shift again.Most OSV operators already collect more data than they use. There are daily reports from the bridge, sensor feeds from engines and dynamic positioning (DP) systems, and shore-side planning tools that generate their own records. Yet the same question […]

Our planet and oceans are under strain. In recent times, they have absorbed around 90% of excess heat from rising greenhouse gas emissions, while marine and terrestrial ecosystems have captured roughly half of human CO₂ emissions. These ecosystems are vital, yet increasingly fragile and their decline underscores the urgent need for all sectors to decarbonise, shipping included.As the maritime sector faces growing disruption from climate shocks, geopolitical tensions and economic volatility, the roadmap to net zero emissions becomes increasingly complex. That complexity is precisely why ports must evolve as renewable energy and bunkering hubs while simultaneously helping the shipping sector […]

2025 was another year shaped by political and economic volatility. Trade tensions simmered, retaliatory tariffs threatened supply chains, and geopolitical shocks continued to ripple through global shipping and energy markets. For much of the maritime sector, this kind of turbulence has become familiar terrain.What was different about 2025 was where – and how – disruption struck the industry.At the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) fall meetings, what was expected to be a routine procedural step to advance the Net Zero Framework (NZF) toward implementation was deliberately derailed. A small bloc of fossil-aligned states, led by the United States and Saudi Arabia, […]

Over the past 10 years, LNG has gone from a niche option to a mainstream solution for maritime, with the number of vessels using LNG as a marine fuel increasing tenfold to 850 vessels in operation, with a further 642 on order. With the inclusion of the LNG carrier fleet, this equates to 10% of global tonnage (DWT).Regulatory and market uncertainties, combined with a lack of shipyard capacity, have slowed the adoption of alternative fuels, with the order book falling from 551 vessels in 2024 to 275 in 2025. However, within this LNG’s relative position has strengthened, representing 79% of […]