Maritime sustainability and the need for global performance indicators in shipping: an empirical investigation based on the shipping KPI standard by BIMCO

This paper aims to cover a gap in maritime literature by analysing the performance of the international fleet through the BIMCO Shipping KPI System databases, and by highlighting the necessity for the adoption of Global Performance Indicators to serve the needs of a sustainable maritime industry. The paper investigates the complex interrelations of the various types of performance in shipping, consisting of 57,622 ships of all commercial types, operated from 26 countries, covering the environmental, health, safety management, HR management, navigational safety, operational, security, and technical performance. Results indicate that countries rank differently with regards to the aggregated performance of their respective shipping companies, signifying different managerial approaches. This paper contributes to the discourse of maritime governance, aiming to be of interest to all maritime stakeholders dealing with marine policies and institutional arrangements for the management and regulation of international shipping.