From Pledges to Practice

Anchoring Safety, Sustainability, and Crew Welfare in Vessel Selection

The maritime supply chain is under mounting pressure to turn Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) promises into measurable progress. Commissioned by RightShip, this report examines the gap between industry ambitions on safety, sustainability, and crew welfare, and the realities of everyday commercial decision-making — highlighting what it will take to move from pledges to practice.

What’s in the report

The Alignment Gap

What the data reveals about how shipowners and charterers prioritise safety, sustainability, and welfare.

The Role of Risk Management

Whether current frameworks incentivise minimum compliance or recognise best practice.

A Framework for Change

Practical measures to integrate Safety, Sustainability and Crew Welfare into vessel selection consistently and credibly.

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Despite growing momentum for safety, sustainability, and crew welfare in the global maritime supply chain, our latest pulse check reveals a clear gap between ESG commitments and the realities of commercial decision-making. While both charterers and shipowners recognise the value of responsible, sustainable operations, cost pressures, time constraints, and market fragmentation continue to push decisions toward traditional economic priorities.

Majority of ship owners and managers go beyond baseline in ESG.

0%

Exceed compliance in safety

0%

Go beyond baseline sustainability standards

0%

Exceed welfare standards

Say commercial pressures have caused charterers to deprioritise higher-ESG vessels in favour of cheaper or more available ones.

Of maritime stakeholders we’ve interviewed say there is no shared understanding of what ‘good ESG performance’ looks like — only 4% believe the industry has a clear definition.

A Framework for Change

To shift ESG from being a compliance obligation into a recognized driver of value, the industry needs a framework that makes leadership visible, comparable, and commercially relevant.

Download the report to uncover 4 actionable recommendations that bridge the gap between pledges and practices.

A maritime safety leader explains why safety remains non-negotiable, even under commercial pressure.

“Nothing goes out unless the ship is safe. Safety is the first and foremost thing. We would prefer to keep a substandard or unseaworthy vessel at the anchorage and bear the freight cost than berthing the vessel, which could potentially lead to a major incident within the narrow channel or at one of our terminals / berths.”

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An ESG expert points out the absence of incentives for crew welfare improvements.

“It is difficult to measure and monetise crew happiness, so owners treat it as a cost centre, not a competitive advantage. Future crew skill needs such as handling new fuels or digital systems may force a shift, but the incentive is talent retention, not charter rate premiums.”

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A maritime workforce expert explains why ESG investments often fail to deliver commercial returns without clear value alignment.

“Charterers’ decisions are ruthlessly cost driven. A dollar a box difference can decide who gets the business. So shipowners may feel they’re investing in ESG, but unless that translates into direct value for the charterer, they won’t be rewarded. The key is value. What is the value of sustainability actions, and who are they valuable to? Once we understand that, rewards follow.”

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Feedback from a senior charterer highlights how cost pressures override ESG priorities in vessel selection.

“Owners say pay me a premium for a greener vessel. Fine. But unfortunately, there is currently no global regulatory or commercial system in place for end customers to pay for the total life cycle emissions, including shipping emissions. So, it becomes our problem.”

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Learn how to bridge the gap between ESG pledges and real-world practices — and turn safety, sustainability, and crew welfare into a competitive advantage.

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