Charting Key Regulatory Change Across Maritime Law in 2025 and Beyond

A tidal wave of new regulations is set to hit the global maritime sector this year, representing fresh, highly-complex compliance challenges. From environmental performance to evolving security and safety standards, the shipping industry faces a raft of new rules intended to ensure safe operations and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

In this article, Stamatis Fradelos, Vice President of Regulatory Affairs at the American Bureau of Shipping, explains what the flood of new regulations really means, and how operators can navigate through the period of change.

A global outlook for regulatory updates

At a global level, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has been publishing important new regulations for the past five years, with others under consultation, but many critical updates have only just or are expected to become applicable.

They have wide ranging implications that can be broken down into two key areas: first, environmental protection. This relates to international efforts to improve ship design, operational efficiency and reduce the world’s reliance on fossil fuels; therefore, lowering the sector’s environmental impact.

Second, a focus on maritime safety, specifically related to the use of alternative fuels, as well as the importance of robust cybersecurity protocols.

Cyber threats: navigating troubled waters

Cyber protection remains of critical importance for the maritime sector. The recent digitalisation of ships, combined with growing geopolitical tensions, have created the perfect storm.

There were reports of a spike in incidents in 2024 but the true scale of the impact today is yet to be revealed. Official statistics identified at least 64 cyber incidents targeting maritime organizations in 2023, according to the Netherlands’ NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences. A decade earlier, there were three, and zero in 2003.

According to a 2023 report, on average a cyberattack within the maritime industry costs the target organization approximately USD$550,000 – up from USD$182,000 in 2022. Demands for ransom …