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Lookup NU author(s): Martin Gibson, Dr Alan J Murphy, Dr Kayvan Pazouki
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND).
© 2019 Elsevier Ltd. Pollution from ships is a significant environmental concern. Maritime environmental legislation has tightened in recent years since the introduction of the MARPOL 73/78 regulations, however there is often a significant time gap between when the regulations are adopted and when they legally enter force. The emergence of private voluntary environmental initiatives has occurred in an attempt to bridge this gap, reduce environmental impacts, and raise the environmental profile of ships. However, there are inconsistencies in the methodologies used to define ship performance, and the number and diversity of initiatives available for use can cause confusion, hindering progress towards greater sustainability. A critical analysis of existing environmental initiatives in the shipping industry has been conducted, challenging the applicability, scope, and environmental ambition of the methodologies adopted. The analysis highlights significant limitations of initiatives with regards to transparency, assessment rationale and environmental scope, and flexibility to be ship specific. Many show bias towards certain environmental indicators, while others have limited ambition. This paper challenges the effectiveness of existing environmental initiatives used in the shipping sector to promote environmental improvements beyond current regulatory requirements, and proposes an objective, quantifiable approach to assessing vessel environmental performance.
Author(s): Gibson M, Murphy AJ, Pazouki K
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment
Year: 2019
Volume: 73
Pages: 152-161
Print publication date: 01/08/2019
Online publication date: 04/07/2019
Acceptance date: 02/04/2018
Date deposited: 15/07/2019
ISSN (print): 1361-9209
ISSN (electronic): 1879-2340
Publisher: Elsevier Ltd
URL: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trd.2019.07.002
DOI: 10.1016/j.trd.2019.07.002
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