SSI’s Maritime News Update : August 2026

Welcome to your August 2026 look at the news shaping the shipping industry across the key themes of the SSI’s Roadmap: energy, people, oceans, finance, transparency and communities.

Energy

India unveils eight-pillar maritime decarbonization roadmap

SSI View: Good to see India cover fuel, recycling and workforce transition together. That whole-system thinking is exactly what the transition needs and now we’re looking at how they’ll be backing the approach.

More Energy news we are following:

• Jotun & SSI: Biofouling requires constant vigilance, while excellence delivers benefits beyond compliance

• Klaveness Combination Carriers takes delivery of final third-generation CABU vessel 

• Jotun and COSCO SHIPPING signs agreement for 125 newbuilding vessels 

• A guide to the IMO's Net-Zero Framework

• Rescuing shipping's Net Zero Framework

• Alternative-Fuel Ship Orders Slow Slightly in First Half of 2026, LNG Maintains Lead

• Owners 'pump the brakes' on methanol-, ammonia- and hydrogen-capable vessels

People

Crew Welfare Week 2026: Strategic welfare is key to resilient shipping

SSI View: Strong to see welfare framed as a resilience issue not just a compliance one. The next step is getting that data to the people making crewing and routing decisions, where it can actually shape outcomes.

More People news we are following:

• Seafarers Happiness Index Q2 2026: The seafaring spirit remains strong, but it is being tested

• RightShip in P&I collaboration

• Day of the Seafarer 2026: Recognizing those carrying world trade and the risks behind it

• Top Ten Business and Human Rights Issues in 2026

• Geopolitical strain exposes shipping's crew welfare failings

• One dead and three injured after Russian strike hits cargo vessel in Black Sea

• Nearly 2 million seafarers in focus as FrontM and Sailor's Cart bring crew welfare into ship management platforms

• Stranded Hormuz Seafarers abandoned for months at sea

• UN Calls for Urgent Protection of Thousands of Seafarers Stranded in Conflict Zones

Oceans

Shipping must integrate ocean health into everyday decision-making

SSI View: The SSI-led "Shipping and Ocean Health 2026" report aligns the sector on how to better steward the oceans. Sectoral change will rely on decisions that integrate commercial, climate, and ocean considerations.

More Oceans news we are following:

• What the new biodiversity agreement means for shipping

• Global marine protected areas top 10%, but 2030 target remains far off

• Salvors work to secure ship leaking oil off Oman, risk firm Ambrey says

Finance

Braemar joins the Sustainable Shipping Initiative

SSI View: The SSI members are thrilled to welcome Braemar. Bringing a broker into the room is exactly the kind of commercial expertise that moves transition economics forward.

More Finance news we are following:

• Braemar reports continued 'positive momentum' in shipping market

• South32 sells nearly all its aluminum business to Alcoa for $5.6B

• Impacts of Postponed IMO Vote on Global Carbon Pricing Rules on Shipping

• "Green" Vessel Investments Continue Despite Delays

• SFTC 2026 Programme to Address Volatility, Regulation and Green Finance 

Transparency

Jotun Scores Gold in Sustainability According to EcoVadis

SSI View: Well earned. Jotun's gold-level EcoVadis result is a strong example of what going beyond compliance looks like, and a good benchmark for the industry.

More Transparency news we are following:

• AI expert Maria Psaltaki joins RightShip as chief product officer

• Strategic Carbon Disclosure and Accountable Efficiency: Reporting Shipping Industry Scope 3 Emissions

• Why ESG Reporting Matters for Shipping Companies

• SSI calls for streamlining of ship recycling regulations 

• Second Life – Ship Recycling – IMAREST Marine Professional

Communities

OEWG advances ship recycling regulatory clarity, questions remain

SSI View: Some progress on ship recycling continued at Basel. With 16,000 ships nearing end-of-life, the next win is resolving HKC equivalence so that progress converts into capacity.

More Communities news we are following:

• BIMCO: Basel OEWG outcome brings ship recycling clarity closer, but more work is needed

• Basel Convention OEWG-15: Progress on E-Waste, Textiles and Hazardous Waste as Plastic Debate Shifts to COP18

• Ship Recycling Congress Highlights Capacity Gaps and Regulatory Progress in 2026

• ASRY and Priya Blue launch ship recycling joint venture in Bahrain

• The Mission to Seafarers Singapore marks 100 years of service with Centenary Appeal

• Hong Kong Convention Is Live: 8 Ship Recycling Decisions Owners Should Recheck in 2026