Biodiversity, decarbonisation alignment reshapes shipping

The sustainable future of international shipping hinges not solely on reducing CO2 emissions but also on effectively managing marine biodiversity.

This is the premise of Lloyd’s Register’s latest Shipping Biodiversity Report, launched at the Third United Nations Ocean Conference, co-hosted by France and Costa Rica, which took place in Nice, France, from 9-13 June 2025.

The report asserts biodiversity and decarbonisation are not separate objectives, but mutually reinforcing strategies.

According to Lloyd’s Register lead, environment policy and strategy, Sahan Abeysekara, “Effective management of marine ecosystems is crucial not only for the health of the oceans, but also for the long-term sustainability and just transition of the shipping industry itself. Synergy with decarbonisation is a win-win.”

The report provides a science-based assessment of how shipping pressures — including ballast water discharge, underwater noise, chemical effluent and physical impacts such as anchoring — contribute to biodiversity degradation. Crucially, it links these pressures to operational, regulatory and financial outcomes for vessel operators.

Ships emitting high levels of underwater radiated noise (URN), for example, may not qualify for port incentive programmes. Some ports already offer reduced fees for vessels with low URN signatures. Biofouling increases fuel consumption and reduces operational efficiency, while also presenting a pathway for invasive species, with financial consequences ranging from increased drydocking to loss of secondhand asset value.

The report is structured around a refined driver-activity-pressure-state-impact-response framework, which highlights the causal links between human needs, shipping activities, and ecological outcomes. It finds ballast water and biofouling continue to be dominant vectors for introducing non-indigenous species.

Ballast water, even after treatment, can retain viable pathogenic material, with stony coral tissue loss disease identified in treated water samples.

In biofouling cases, invasive species such as the Zebra mussel and Rapana whelk have spread globally via hull fouling, causing severe disruption to aquaculture and marine infrastructure.

There are operational implications: fouled hulls increase friction, raising fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.

Meanwhile, excessive shipboard lighting impacts navigational safety and disrupts the behaviour of marine organisms.

The report notes excessive nutrient discharge contributes to eutrophication, while scrubber water and washwater from exhaust gas cleaning systems introduce metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons into the marine environment, with persistent effects on coral and fish reproduction.

In the financial domain, the report draws attention to biodiversity-linked investment criteria. Ships unable to meet sustainability benchmarks may be excluded from green financing or subject to reduced charter appeal.

Biodiversity credit mechanisms, the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures, and port-based fee structures are cited as examples of this evolving financial landscape.

Finally, reputational risks are addressed. Public perception and CSR disclosures are now interlinked with a company’s biodiversity profile.

As reporting standards evolve, companies will be expected to track metrics such as days spent inside marine protected areas and ecological impacts of operational practices.

By framing biodiversity management not only as an ecological obligation but a commercial necessity, Lloyd’s Register positions this report as a strategic guide for navigating the convergence of environmental stewardship, policy and profit resilience. Future volumes will address technological innovations and collaborative industry responses.