Navigating Sustainability in Complex Marine Operations

Marine sustainability is evolving. This World Ocean Day, we explore how shipping and offshore industries are balancing operational complexity with growing expectations around emissions, transparency and environmental responsibility.

The world’s oceans are the backbone of global trade, offshore operations, supply and even food chains. From shipping routes carrying essential goods to offshore energy activities supporting economies worldwide, marine industries depend on healthy, functioning oceans to keep people, businesses and communities connected.

World Ocean Day provides an important moment to recognise not only the value of our oceans, but also the growing responsibility shared by the industries most closely connected to them.

There is no denying the importance of global shipping to critical supply chains. Recent geopolitical instability and disruption across the Middle East and Red Sea have highlighted this once again, demonstrating just how interconnected maritime operations and global commerce have become.

At the same time, awareness of the environmental pressures facing oceans and coastal habitats continues to grow. For marine and offshore organisations, sustainability is no longer viewed as a standalone environmental initiative or public image exercise. Increasingly, it is becoming part of how businesses manage risk, demonstrate accountability and prepare for the future.

Marine sustainability is evolving

According to Pippa Ganderton, Director of Halo, the conversation within maritime industries has matured significantly in recent years.

“Thanks to growing awareness, technical advances and measures gradually being introduced by organisations such as the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), many shipping companies are increasingly focused on understanding and addressing emissions across all three Scopes,” she explains.

While Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions often receive the greatest attention due to their direct operational links, Scope 3 is attracting increasing scrutiny – particularly Scope 3 Category 6, relating to business travel.

For marine and offshore organisations, this is particularly relevant. Crew travel represents a substantial part of operational activity and, in many cases, a significant contributor to travel-related emissions.

Today’s more advanced marine operators increasingly understand the importance of acknowledging the full scale of their environmental impact.

As reporting frameworks and regulations such as the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) continue to shape market expectations, sustainability is becoming increasingly important to investors, clients, business partners and employees alike. Double materiality considerations are also beginning to influence how organisations assess suppliers and contractors.

The direction of travel is clear: sustainability is moving closer to operational and commercial decision-making.

Crew travel presents a unique challenge

Unlike some aspects of traditional corporate travel, crew mobility cannot be viewed as discretionary movement.

Calypso Diareme, Global Head of Cruise Logistics at ATPI, notes that marine travel operates within a very different reality.

“Crew changes and travel decisions still need to be primarily operationally reliable, compliant and cost effective,” she says. “There are often limited practical alternatives available, particularly during disruptions, remote trading areas or periods of geopolitical instability.”

This creates a difficult balancing act.

Crew changes must take place within strict regulatory and operational windows, often involving complex multi-sector itineraries, last-minute adjustments and limited routing options. In some situations, the most environmentally efficient routing may simply not be operationally viable or safe.

Recent years have demonstrated how quickly priorities can shift. Airspace closures, sanctions, regional conflict and supply chain disruption have required many marine organisations to prioritise resilience and continuity.

That does not mean sustainability has disappeared from the agenda.

Rather, the conversation is evolving from broad commitments towards approaches that are measurable, practical and operationally integrated.

The pace and maturity of ESG adoption also varies across maritime sectors.

Within cruise, sustainability expectations are often more visible and advanced, driven by public scrutiny, investor reporting requirements and consumer visibility. Cargo sectors typically place greater emphasis on fuel transition, efficiency, and regulatory compliance, while the yacht sector often follows more tailored, owner-led sustainability priorities.

Across all sectors, however, one common trend is emerging: sustainability increasingly requires collaboration between operational, commercial and ESG functions.

Why measurement and transparency matter

For sustainability strategies to drive meaningful progress, accurate measurement remains essential.

“Net zero ambitions can only be achieved with a clear baseline and measurable reduction goals,” says Ganderton.

“Accurate measurement is no longer a distant aspiration – it is available, and it does not cost the earth.”

Directives, reporting frameworks and voluntary certifications increasingly evaluate organisations based on their ability to demonstrate emissions reductions year-on-year. This makes data quality and transparency critical.

Marine travel presents particular challenges in this area.

Travel frequently involves diversions, repositioning, complex crew rotations and real-time operational changes, meaning emissions reporting may sometimes rely on estimates rather than complete operational visibility.

This is why integration and collaboration matter.

Better access to operational data helps organisations improve reporting accuracy, identify inefficiencies and make more informed decisions. Emerging technologies and AI are also expected to play a growing role – supporting routing optimisation, disruption prediction, emissions calculations and operational planning.

Yet technology alone is not the solution.

Its effectiveness depends on access to reliable data and systems capable of reflecting the realities of marine operations.

Transparency is equally important.

Many marine and offshore organisations face mandatory or voluntary sustainability audits, making access to credible, audit-ready information increasingly valuable. Whether through emissions reporting, Sustainable Aviation Fuel certificates or verified carbon compensation documentation, transparency helps simplify what can otherwise become a highly complex process.

Turning responsibility into action

For many organisations, partnerships play an important role in turning ambition into action.

True partnership is built around complementary expertise – allowing marine and energy operators to focus on core operations while drawing on specialist support for travel and sustainability requirements.

This is reflected in ATPI Halo’s approach, which supports clients across the three core pillars of travel sustainability: measurement, reduction and compensation.

Van Weelde, a marine sector client working with ATPI Halo, recognises the importance of this collaborative approach.

“As a business operating within the marine sector, we recognise the importance of supporting long-term environmental responsibility across our operations and supply chain,” says Carlo Jansen, CFO of Van Weelde.

“Working with ATPI Halo has helped us better understand and address our travel-related emissions through more transparent reporting and practical action. We are proud to compensate for our operational travel footprint by offsetting with ATPI Halo towards a number of carbon projects including the invaluable Delta Blue mangrove restoration project. Collaboration across the industry will continue to play an important role in driving meaningful progress.”

Looking beyond World Ocean Day

World Ocean Day is an opportunity to reflect on the importance of our oceans and coastal communities, but it also highlights a broader shift taking place across marine industries.

Sustainability is moving beyond high-level commitments and becoming increasingly embedded within operational decision-making.

For marine and offshore organisations, the challenge is no longer whether sustainability matters – but how to make it measurable, credible and practical in environments where operational complexity remains unavoidable.

The future of marine sustainability will depend not on perfect solutions, but on better visibility, stronger collaboration and a shared commitment to progress.