Energy efficiency in ship operations-Exploring voyage decisions and decision-makers

To mitigate climate change due to international shipping, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) requires shipowners and ship technical managers to improve the energy efficiency of ships' operations. This paper studies how voyage planning and execution decisions affect energy efficiency and distinguishes between the commercial and nautical components of energy efficiency. Commercial decisions for voyage planning depend on dynamic market conditions and matter more for energy efficiency than nautical decisions do for voyage execution. The paper identifies the people involved in decision-making processes and advances the energy-efficiency literature by revealing the highly networked nature of agency for energy efficiency. The IMO's current energy efficiency regulations fail to distinguish between the commercial and nautical aspects of energy efficiency, which limits the ability to mitigate climate change through regulatory measures. Policymakers should expand their regulatory focus beyond shipowners and technical managers to cargo owners to improve energy efficiency and reduce maritime transport emissions.

Automated summary

This paper studies the impact of voyage planning and execution decisions on energy efficiency in shipping, distinguishing between the commercial and nautical aspects. It reveals that commercial decisions have a greater influence on energy efficiency and highlights the highly networked nature of decision-making in this field. Therefore, regulatory measures to mitigate climate change should extend their focus to include cargo owners in addition to shipowners and technical managers, to improve energy efficiency and reduce emissions in maritime transport.