The Importance of Emerging Technologies to the Increasing of Corporate Sustainability in Shipping Companies

Abstract

Corporate sustainability is understood as the integration of economic, environmental, and social considerations into the company’s mission. In the shipping market, it allows for a wide spectrum of integration of corporate management areas: shipowners’ financial condition, environmental protection, work safety, seafarers’ health, and stable cooperation with shippers. The aim of this paper is to create a deeper understanding of how and which emerging technologies accelerate sustainability strategy of shipping companies. Three research perspectives have been adopted. The first one is aimed to examine shipowners’ approach to emerging technologies as a tool to improve their corporate sustainability performance. The second perspective gives a view of trends in the development of emerging technologies in shipping and how they related to sustainability. Taking the third perspective, we examine how effective, in the opinion of future seafarers, the use of emerging technologies is in improving corporate sustainability of shipping companies. The research methods for each of the perspectives are, respectively, a sustainability reports and ships’ registry data analysis, a patent analysis, and a questionnaire survey analysis. The results prove that shipowners use not only certain management practices, but also new technologies to enhance corporate sustainability. The transition to sustainable shipping will continue for many years to come and all shipping companies will have to become part of it.

1. Introduction

The shipping industry is being pushed towards a major shift, resulting from the need to adapt to a new environment shaped by climate changes, the forecast rapid movements in the size and structure of demand, and the accompanying developments in technologies and management systems. Other market-driven challenges faced by the shipping industry are related to a downtrend in applicants seeking jobs at sea and the need for continuous development of employees’ competencies. The approach to fleet management and changes in the supply chains are also greatly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The shipping sector is facing a need for ‘deep adaptation’ to the new business environment [1].

The framework for this paper is bound by a term which the authors consider as being of key importance to the future developments in the shipping industry. It is corporate sustainability (CS), construed as, according to Van Marrewijk and Werre [2], the ‘company’s activities demonstrating the inclusion of social and environmental concerns in business operations and in interactions with stakeholders’. Similarly to other authors, e.g., Aras and Crowther [3], we believe that sustainability is fundamental to the continuing operation of any corporation. A concept somewhat similar to corporate sustainability, although having different roots, is corporate social responsibility (CSR). Both concepts share the same vision of balancing economic responsibilities with social and environmental ones [4], which is why many authors consider them equivalent [5]. In this paper, the terms are used interchangeably.

In the recent years, shipowners have expressed increased interest in voluntary collaborations and initiatives aimed at addressing environmental, social, and governance issues [6]. Obviously, many standards and measures relating to environmental protection and social policies in international shipping are regulated under international conventions promoted by such organisations as the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and the International Labour Organisation (ILO). Further regulations are to be introduced, some of which have been met with resistance, such as guidelines for the decarbonisation of shipping, which is to become mandatory along with the existing limits for sulphur and nitrogen emissions by ships. Mandatory regulations introduced by the IMO push shipowners to undertake their own initiatives and issue guidelines. Declarations made by leading container shipping companies concerning limits on carbon emissions and the construction of a carbon neutral vessel by 2023 [7] are an example. Other social impact-related initiatives are aimed at attracting and retaining employees, ensuring security and employee well-being, improving customer relations and relations with the community as well as increasing the transparency of operations. Although these voluntary initiatives shape the future of the shipping market, there is no comprehensive data on them apart from scattered information in the media and reports on certain activities or from certain entities operating on the market.

As an important concept of business management, CSR is being incorporated by an increasing number of enterprises in the maritime industry into their development strategies. The trend is believed to be led by large shipowners with substantial potential. Leading shipping companies (e.g., Mearsk Line) have integrated the concept of CSR into the core of their corporate strategies [8] and adopted a common practice of publishing CSR reports. The underlying concept of CSR, which provides guidelines for business operations and business strategies, has become a field of exploration by scientists, requiring new approaches and research methods. One of the aspects we still lack an insight into is the role of new technologies in the creation and implementation of CSR strategies by enterprises in the shipping sector. The IMO has acknowledged the significant role of new technologies in the strengthening of environmental responsibility. The World Maritime theme for 2022 speaks for itself: ‘New technologies for greener shipping’ expresses the need for a green transition into a sustainable future.

New technologies are being integrated into all transport systems, including maritime transport. The shipbuilding industry, as well as its associated research centres, are working on the development of new technologies, such as advanced shipbuilding materials, watercraft manufacturing technologies, low-emission propulsion systems, energy-efficient power supply systems, and automated or remote ship control systems) [9]. There is a constant search for new business models which would be consistent with the concept of sustainable development, while integrating the information and communication technology (ICT). Solutions based on the concept of collaborative economy are being proposed as one of the possible paths for the development of short sea shipping [10]. Equally important is implementing new technologies while caring about how they are viewed by the employees, taking into consideration opinions of other users, and engaging the managerial staff in the process [9,11]. In this paper, the authors focus on the implementation of new technologies which contribute to improving corporate sustainability of shipowners, particularly container operators. New technology is construed as, according to A. Kay [12], ‘anything that was invented after you were born’. Research into the role of new technologies in the creation and strengthening of CSR as a coherent strategy of shipping companies is still scarce. Aiming to fill this gap, this paper creates a deeper understanding of how and which emerging technologies accelerate the implementation of CSR strategies in shipping companies.

The research tactic is to look at the role that new technologies play in the incorporation of the CS concept into a business strategy from three different perspectives. One of them is the shipowners’ perspective: their approach, goals, and action taken to alter vessels’ structure and equipment, as well as a number of other hard to measure effects referred to in sustainability reports. Another perspective is the one of inventors and manufacturers of innovative technologies in regards to integrating maritime technologies into the concept of sustainable shipping. The third and last perspective is the one of the young generation of future seafarers and their evaluation of the process of employing emerging technologies in the pursuance of CS goals. Such a combination of perspectives of industry insiders with a perspective of those who are still outside the shipping industry gives a broader picture and a better background for a reliable assessment of the role which new technologies play in the attainment of CSR goals in the shipping industry.

The study is structured around three research questions:

RQ1.

In what areas of operation do shipping companies use new technologies to increase corporate sustainability?

RQ2.

What trends are there in the patent activity for sustainable shipping?

RQ3.

How do future seafarers view the use of new technologies in the pursuit of CS goals across all aspects of the concept?

Research results can be used by shipping companies to improve their CSR strategies and sustainable employer brand, shipyards and research institutes to monitor technological developments, and international organisations such as the EU and the IMO to develop policy recommendations.

The paper is organised as follows. In Section 2, we begin with a review of literature dealing with CS in the shipping industry and the role which technology can play in the attainment of CSR goals. In Section 3, we present the methodology of the study, and in Section 4 we report on and discuss the study results. Finally, we conclude by summarizing the findings, provide managerial insights, and indicate guidelines for further research.

2. Literature Review

There are many definitions of CS and CSR in the literature. Although academics point to differences between them [4], the two terms share a common goal: to provide corporations with the necessary guidance to enhance profitability while improving performance towards society and the environment [13]. Through reference to the Brundtland Report, definitions of CS are future-oriented and centred around the concept of ‘ensuring that the choices of resource utilisation in the future are not constrained by decisions taken in the present’ [3].

Marrewijk and Werre [2] argue that each organisation needs to devise its own definition of corporate sustainability to suit its purpose and objectives. A similar concept underlies corporate sustainable development (CSD), defined by Bansal [14] as a construct based on three principles: economic integrity, social equity, and environmental integrity, which are complementary; the three elements must be integrated to achieve perfection (i.e., sustainability). One of the most popular definitions of CSR has it that it is ‘the responsibility of enterprises for their impacts on society’ [15]. An enterprise should abide by laws and is expected to integrate the processes of social, environmental, ethical, and human rights and consumer concerns into its business operations [15]. CSR may be looked at as a form of corporate self-regulation integrated into a business model, where the organisation pursues its responsibility initiatively rather than passively [16]. The modern concept of CSR does not deny to have profit maximisation as one of its goals. On the contrary, the concept of strategic CSR, which pinpoints the opportunities for using CSR activities to improve corporate financial performance by enhancing firm reputation, increasing stakeholder reciprocation, mitigating firm risk, and strengthening innovation capacity [17], is gaining popularity. Shipping companies tend to use the term ‘Sustainability Report’ more often than ‘CSR Report’ on their websites and in official reports. Regardless of the title, both types of reports have a similar scope and, in this paper, the terms are used interchangeably.

Research into the meaning, implementation, and results of a CSR strategy have various contexts. One of them, which, on a general level, can be shared by many organisations, are national cultures, sectors, or industries [18]. The role of technology in the pursuit of the CSR goals is one of the contexts discussed in the literature. It has been proven that technological innovations have a positive impact on the CSR activity in small and medium-sized enterprises [19,20] and public sector enterprises [21]. Interestingly, the influence works both ways. Innovations—not only in technology—have an influence on the company’s CSR, and inversely, CSR is assumed to influence innovation performance [22]. None of the research conducted so far addresses innovations in the maritime industry directly. Studies on the CSR strategy implementation in maritime industry enterprises are based on various research perspectives and research settings. For example, they cover listed shipping companies [23], shipping companies based in a certain country [24] or representing a certain segment of the international shipping market, such as container lines [25] or cruise shipping [26]. This paper also discusses CS-related issues in three analytical perspectives and is set in a certain context, defined by the research setting, i.e., focus on emerging technologies as implemented in the shipping industry. It is worth noting here that not all studies give results confirming a positive influence of new technologies on each of the key three dimensions of CS, i.e., economic, environmental, and social [27], which leaves room for further research utilising diverse research strategies.

The concept of CSR has a growing role in shipping companies. In many of them, it has a tangible impact on the decisions and actions taken concerning their core and other activities. The types of CSR initiatives undertaken in shipping companies depend on the market segment they operate in and the company’s business operations profile. They also differ in scale and degree of involvement on the part of the enterprise. CSR in cargo shipping companies relates to a number of areas, such as environmental, occupational safety, rights of workers, and welfare issues [28]. Passenger shipping companies focus more on environmental, social, and philanthropic activities [29].

However, implementation of a CSR policy is sometimes faced with obstacles. The most significant barriers are lack of resources, lack of a strategic vision, lack of a measurement system, high regulatory standards, and low willingness to pay for CSR [30]. Moreover, opinions are being voiced, not only with reference to the shipping industry, that CSR-related plans and visions are just window-dressing [31], aimed mainly at improving the branding and image of shipping companies [32].

One of the aspects of CSR of great interest to executive staff is the relation between CSR activities and profitability and the market value of shipping companies. Most of the research discussed in the literature points to a relation between the implementation of a CSR policy and improvement of financial results. A positive relationship has been noted between CSR disclosure and the financial performance of shipping companies [23], and the relation is not always direct. Some studies are designed in a way to reveal indirect relations, and analyses are extended by a number of additional, intermediate categories. One of the findings is that the impact of CSR practices on a shipping firm’s financial performance depends indirectly on high customer satisfaction and job satisfaction [33], high continuous improvement capacity of a company [30], as well as a shipping company’s stakeholder pressure and their attitude [34]. CSR initiatives targeted at the community, shareholders, and employees are triggered by intrinsic motivation, whilst concerns about the environment and relations with suppliers result from extrinsic motivation [35], which means that the action is performed in order to achieve some separate outcome [36].

Many CSR practices implemented by container shipping companies are a response to stakeholders’ expectations. Cargo shippers expect to be provided with opportunities for flexible management of transport and logistic processes, tracing and tracking of consignments in real time, and reducing carbon emissions throughout the supply chain. Consignors such as IKEA, Walmart, or Electrolux implement CSR policies and expect the same of their transport partners [37]. Collaboration throughout the supply chain makes it possible to reduce the carbon footprint of products. Transnational companies publish their environmental impact indicators and expect to cooperate with their business partners to improve performance throughout the supply chain. The declaration made in 2021 by nine big companies, including Amazon, Ikea, Unilever, and Inditex, to only move cargo on ships using zero-carbon fuel by 2040 [38], is an expression of such an expectation.

One of the key advantages of CSR is its effect on brand awareness, brand image, and corporate reputation [39,40]. It has been proven that CSR initiatives positively influence consumer behaviour, regardless of the fact that brand assessment is often an unconscious and indirect process [41]. Unfortunately, neither the press nor social media build an expressly positive image of the shipping industry. Although the press coverage that the shipping industry and its key players receive is not negative per se [42], it is focused on negative events, such as collisions, pollution, injuries [43], cyber-attacks [44], and in recent months, the COVID-19 pandemic-related turnover of crews [45], and port congestions [46]. Moreover, the shipping industry is criticised for being reluctant to engage in pro-social or pro-environmental activities [47], and for impeding the introduction of regulations which prescribe the application of solutions in this area. The truth is, however, that many shipping companies engage in green practices and undertake sustainable initiatives [48] as well as intend to present themselves as sustainable brands through social media communications. While container shipping lines position themselves on social media as engaging in economic or environmental sustainability activities, social sustainability still remains unexplored by them [49].

The industry image is of importance not only to customers and suppliers, but also the existing and potential employees [50,51]. Shaping an employer brand that aims to highlight the advantages of the company as an employer is important to both potential and existing employees [52]. The better the employer’s reputation is, the better opportunities there are to attract, recruit, and retain talented employees. What is more, CSR activities enable firms to build employer reputation [53]. The ability to hire young people for jobs at sea depends on many aspects of the industry image, one of them being the CSR in the shipping industry [54]. Therefore, it is important to take employees’ perception into consideration when assessing activities in the CSR area [55]. This is why one of the three analysis perspectives adopted in this paper is the attitude of future employees, i.e., students of maritime universities.

3. Methodology

Being a complex issue, the role of technology in the CSR activities of shipping companies has been examined from three different perspectives (see Figure 1) applied simultaneously.

Each of the perspectives and the related research question require an appropriate research method. The multi-method approach taken here incorporates three methods and three research tools. The strategy has enabled us to explain more fully the richness and complexity of systems and processes by studying them from more than one standpoint [56]. On the basis of the insight gathered through triangulation of three methods, we have been able to attain the goal formulated at the stage of design of the study. The research approach is shown in more detail in Figure 2.

In the first step, we examined shipowners’ approaches to using emerging technologies in the pursuit of a CSR strategy. For this purpose, we used the document analysis to examine sustainability reports or similar reports termed otherwise, e.g., corporate social responsibility reports, published by ten leading container shipping operators. The sample companies were selected based on the ranking of the 100 largest container operators by total TEU capacity published by Alphaliner [57]. The analysis covered ten top operators in the ranking, and was based on the most recent reports available in 2021. The document analysis combined elements of content analysis, construed as the process of organising information into categories related to the research questions [58]. Sustainability reports are a valuable and reliable source of information, and the method we used had already been successfully applied to analyses of shipping companies whose results are available in the literature [28,59]. The reports are of a qualitative nature and no specific indicators are proposed in them for measuring and evaluating sustainability performance at the corporate level [60]. Therefore, we had to adopt a uniform framework and a scheme for the comparison of the enterprises under analysis.

Another type of analysis we have conducted for the purpose of this paper is the patent analysis. This tool, derived from technology management [61], is used for the analysis of technology evolution and creating of technology roadmaps at national or industry level [62]. Trends and dynamic of changes in the number of patents in particular technological domains provide information on the technical progress and innovative activity [63], which is why patent activity can be considered an outcome indicator in R&D activities [64]. We used the patent analysis to assess selected aspects of innovation-related activity in the area which can be referred to as ‘sustainable shipping’. We evaluated innovation dynamics by analysing trends prevailing in patent activity in sustainable shipping in particular countries, and identified areas of most interest to inventors. The analysis was conducted on the Patent Inspiration global online patent analytics platform (http://www.patentinspiration.com (accessed on 21 September 2021), recommended for this type of analysis [65].

Finally, the third component of the study was obtained through a questionnaire survey on a sample of students who were soon to launch their career as seafarers. Here, the focus was on examining how the respondents perceived the use of emerging technologies for the CSR activity of shipping companies. We examined how deeply generation Z [66] believed that new technologies changed the maritime industry for the better, and in what areas. The sample selection was purposive; the questionnaire was addressed to the final-year students of the Maritime University of Szczecin, Poland, who were about to enter the labour market and seek jobs at sea and in ports. The students were prepared to work at sea in officer positions and nearly all of them (98.2%) had some experience of working at sea gained during their student practice. The sample under analysis represents generation Z, also referred to as the Facebook generation or iGeneration [67]. Born after 1995, they are technology savvy, naturally look for answers or solutions on the Internet, have on-line social lives and a practical approach to problem solving, and are flexible and open-minded [68,69]. In addition, they take a serious approach to environmental protection, support climate change mitigation [70], are sustainability-oriented [71], and ethically concerned [72]. All these features of generation Z have been determinants in the sample selection. Entering the maritime labour market, they represent a new approach to the implementation of emerging technologies in sustainable shipping.

4. Results

4.1. Sustainability Reports Analysis

We analysed reports published by the ten largest container shipping companies which, in 2021, together had an 85% share in the container segment of the shipping market. The transport volume of containerised cargo and the container vessel fleet managed by this group of shipowners are constantly growing, accompanied by a steady development of transport and industry technologies. In view of the above, this group of shipowners can be considered as representative and suitable for analyses of trends and market relations in sea shipping and combined sea and land supply chains both at present and in the forthcoming future. The analysis covers CSR reports and sustainability reports available to the general public on the shipowners’ websites. For homogeneity of the source data, all the reports under analysis are for 2019, regardless of the fact that for certain companies more recent reports were available as at the date of the analysis. Considering the long-term perspective of most of the activities discussed in the reports, the fact that they are for 2019 does not affect the outcome of the analysis.

The analysis was aimed at finding out which technological solutions were declared by shipowners as relevant to the corporate sustainability performance. The technologies were grouped into four categories of CS benefits: human-related (HR), environment-related (ER), logistics chain-related (LR), and safety-related (SR). The categories are broad in scope and cover various technological solutions at different levels of innovation, aimed to bring benefits to, respectively: the shipowner’s employees and business partners (HR), the natural environment (ER), business and institutional stakeholders in the supply chains (LR), and safety of operations of a shipping company (SR). The analysis results, shown in a tabular form, cover the names of technological solutions under analysis, the categories of CS benefits they are assigned to, and examples of activities related to or implementations of the solutions (

Table 1. Technologies used by the leading container operators to attain CS goals.

Container Operator	Type of Technology	CS Benefit Categories	Examples
Maersk, 2019 Sustainability Report	Biofuel development	Reduction of emissions from shipping (ER)	Investments in developing fuel types based on alcohols (methanol and ethanol), bio-methane and ammonia
	Digital solutions	Collaboration across the supply chain, sharing of information (LR)	Tradelens—a digital platform based on the blockchain technology
		Digital platforms (LR, HR)	Twill—a digital platform, making it simpler and easier for small and medium sized traders to engage in international trade Shetrades—a digital platform promoting a women-inclusive business ecosystem
			Support for start-ups, e.g., Incodocs
		Reduction of emissions from shipping, cost optimisation (ER, SR)	StarConnect—a vessel monitoring system providing visibility on the efficiency of the engine and the most effective sea voyage
		E-learning (HR)	E-learning modules and social networking service for employees
	Innovative tools (experiments and project participation)	Contributing to removing plastic from the oceans (ER)	Cooperation with the Ocean Cleanup Using a Mearsk vessel for a technology developed by the Ocean Cleanup which concentrates plastic and makes it ready for collection
		Contributing to building knowledge about maritime environment (ER)	Cooperation with the Ocean Cleanup; deploying data collecting buoys across the world’s oceans
		New energy source on board (ER, SR)	Testing a marine battery system which can supply power for onboard electrical systems
CMA CGM, 2019 CSR Report	LNG—powered ships	Improved the energy performance and reducing emissions from ships (ER)	The largest LNG-powered container ship in the history of maritime transport
	Biofuels testing		Second-generation biofuel testing on two Group vessels in partnership with IKEA
	Scrubber systems
	Dismantling of ships	Recycling (ER)	Three vessels dismantled adhering to the Ship Recycling Transparency Initiative (SRTI)
	Remote work	Working conditions of employees (HR)	Extension of the teleworking pilot in France—691 employees involved in the pilot programme
	Underwater drones for hull inspections	Protecting ecosystems (ER, SR)	Preliminary testing of an underwater drone and a digital monitoring platform with customised algorithms developed by the start-up Notilo Plus
	System for managing oil spills		Fast Oil Recovery System (FORS) makes it possible to quickly recover bunker oil through a system of standardised connectors. The technology has been installed on 57 vessels.
	Digital solutions	Smart containers (LR)	Traxens—containers equipped with technologies that send data, almost in real time, on the movement and condition of freight
		On-line customer service (LR)	CMA CGM eSolutions, a fully digital ecosystem for a secure, simpler, and more effective customer experience
		Create digital community (LR)	Dedicated ‘Galaxy’ intranet;
		Applications to facilitate employees’ daily working lives (HR)	C-Travel: to make business travel easier and safer; C-Park: optimises parking at company car park in Marseilles; C-Lunch: developed to create and sign up for business lunches
		On-line support for ship crew (HR)	Fleet Navigation Centre: state-of-the-art technological resources
COSCO, 2019 Sustainability Report	Digital solutions	e-commerce platform (LR)	‘My Reefer’—an online service for the tracking and tracing of refrigerated containers in transport; provides real-time data on the location and route of containers as well as the temperature and humidity levels inside the container
		Carbon emission calculator (ER)	The calculator helps customers calculate carbon dioxide emissions throughout the supply chain
Evergreen, 2019 CSR Report	Digital solutions	Customer Relationship Management (LR)	ShipmentLink, Bolero—electronic transaction platforms GreenX—a digital booking platform and cloud data integration system
	SOx scrubbing system	Reduction of emissions from shipping (ER)	At the end of 2019, the installation rate of open loop SOx scrubbers reached 56%, and 60% of the shipowner’s old ships were equipped with SOx scrubbers
	Selective catalytic reduction		The newly delivered F-type ships are the first large container ships to use the latest selective catalytic reduction (SCR) to achieve a significant reduction in NOx emissions.
Hapag-Lloyd, 2019 Sustainability Report	Digital solutions	On-line customer service (LR)	Quick Quotes—an online tool for freight rate enquiries and bookings; Voyage Control—a new decision support system for scheduling purposes
		Data management (SR)	TradeLens—joined the blockchain-based platform;
		On-line support for ship crew (HR)	Fleet Support Center (FSC) department for digital solutions in ship operations
		Carbon emission calculator (ER)	Information about various emissions in the transport chain using the Hapag-Lloyd EcoCalc
	LNG powered ships	Reduction of emissions from shipping (ER)	Retrofitting ships for operation with LNG and exhaust gas cleaning systems
	SOx scrubbing system
HMM, 2019 Sustainability Report	SOx scrubbing system	Reduction of emissions from shipping (ER)	HMM pre-installed scrubbers on 20 ULCV and 5 VLCC new ships and completed the installation of additional scrubbers on 19 container ships currently in service;
	Selective Catalyst Reduction (SCR)		Fuel injection valves have been transitioned to the sliding type; on certain ships, Selective Catalyst Reduction (SCR) were used
	Digital solutions	Energy efficiency (ER)	EEOI Calculator—indicates how efficiently vessels operate
		Monitoring emissions (ER)	Supply Chain Carbon Calculator — automatically calculates the GHG emitted from departure to arrival
		Smart containers (LR, SR)	HMM finished a test run of the IoT and reefer-integrated service in August 2017, and will officially incorporate this system by 2020
		Data management (SR)	Blockchain — HMM introduced blockchain on a sea trial for the first time in August 2017. In June 2018, we began working on blockchain with the financial industry, and in July, (SR) the Korea Customs Service carried out a blockchain trial for export procedures.
		Real-time Monitoring of Ships and Cargo (LR)	Command and Control Room—before the installation of the sensors, monitoring was possible only up to twice a day, but now it is expected to be continuous.
		Cloud-based, next-generation shipping and logistics system (LR)	NewGAUS—a system developed independently by HMM, enables the management of all kinds of data, from vessel data such as contracts and reservations to human resources, management, and operations.
		Telecommunication	Maritime Very Small Aperture Terminal (MV-SAT) system improves the efficiency of operations by reducing communication costs using Internet phones and establishing a real-time network between the headquarters and the vessels.
		Telemedicine (HR)	Video communication between the vessel and the telemedicine research centre
MSC, 2019 Sustainability Report	SOx scrubbing system	Reduction of emissions from shipping (ER)	MSC was an industry leader on EGCS (Exhaust Gas Cleaning Systems) installation, with a greater number of systems installed
	Biofules testing		Trials were run with the selected biofuel on two MSC ships.
	Selective Catalyst Reduction (SCR)		All new MSC ships calling at ports in the North American ECA and the United States Caribbean Sea ECA use SCR for NOx;
	Cold Ironing (shore power)		Of the 459 calls made by shore-power equipped MSC vessels to terminals in Shenzhen in 2019, 283 voyages connected to the available shore-power infrastructure, representing over 62% of all MSC call
	MSC Biofouling Management Plan	Minimising the transfer of invasive aquatic species (ER)	Activities: Renewal of antifouling coating, in-water inspection, renewal of cathodic anodes, propeller blades polishing, bow thruster blades polishing, cleaning sea chest areas/grills, bow thruster + stern thruster grills inspection/cleaning, hull cleaning
	Non-toxic foul release coating	Reduced drag, and thus improved fuel efficiency (ER, SR)	The coating has now been applied to 29 other vessels.
	Reduce single-use plastics	Plastic waste management (ER)	As part of this initiative, MSC now procures concentrated water-based cleaning agents, for which the solution is prepared on board
	Digital solutions	Digital platforms (LR, SR)	Tradelens—blockchain-enabled digital platform collaboration between IBM and some of the shipping sector’s largest actors, including MSC
		IoT and Big Data (LR)	Improved tracking and tracing. In 2019, MSC invested in smart technology for 10,000 reefers
		Cloud-based cargo planning (LR)	System across whole MSC fleet
	Propeller boss cap fins (PBCF)	Noise reduction (ER)	(PBCF) are primarily known for their energy-saving merits, reduces propeller cavitation and consequently underwater noise.
ONE, 2019 Sustainability Report	Cold Ironing (shore power)	Reduction of emissions from shipping (ER)	Since ONE started operation in April 2018, almost all of ONE vessels calling in California ports receive full shoreside power.
	Regular hull cleaning and propeller polishing	Reduced drag, and thus improved fuel efficiency (ER)	Cleaning is done once every five years, but with our monthly vessel performance reports.
YangMing, 2019 CSR Report	Digital solutions	Energy saving (SR)	Energy Saving Bow; Energy Saving Propeller;
		Fleet monitoring (ER, LR, SR)	AIS Big data; analysis; 8 K Best Trim Project; Remote Support System; 14K Best Trim Project, 2.8 K Intelligent Ship
ZIM, 2019 Sustainability Report	Digital solutions	Smart container (LR, SR)	ZIMonitor, a smart container system that combines advanced, ongoing monitoring with global, personal 24/7 support in order to prevent mistakes, cut costs, and ensure safety and quality
		Carbon emission calculator (ER)	The EcoData Emissions Calculator is a user-friendly online tool that can be found on our website.

Source: CSR reports and Sustainability reports of shipowners.

).

The data presented in the table are differential and not declared by all the shipowners equally. The technological solutions which have been implemented by each of the shipowners are those which have become mandatory under the laws or are required for adjustment to commonly applicable standards. They include, without limitation, ballast water treatment systems, eco-containers (bamboo flooring, low-energy reefers, light steel structures, water-based paint), simulators for crew training, LED lamps, environmentally friendly renewable toner cartridges and copy paper, CCTV cameras on the deck and in the engine room, container sharing initiatives, and SuperSlow Steaming.

It should be borne in mind that the data included in the reports express self-evaluation by the shipowners and are in general difficult to verify, especially the part of them which refers to the declared actions and strategic plans. It can be assumed, therefore, that the analysis is an assessment of the communication extended by the shipowners to the general public in order to strengthen their image.

All the shipowners under analysis declare commitment to the development of technologies supporting the implementation of CS concepts which are beneficial to the natural environment (ER) and the supply chain stakeholders (LR). Seven of them report to have introduced solutions which improve the security of their internal operations, mainly through the development of in-house IT systems (SR). Only four of them declare to have implemented systems or tools which bring benefits to their employees and business partners (HR). It should be noted here that the reports do not contain any measurable data and the level of detail of the data is varied. For example, the declarations made by COSCO and Hapag-Lloyd are not supported by any examples of implementations; in other cases, declarations are vague and imprecise, such as in the report by ONE, which has it that ‘Scrubbers and LNG are options for consideration’.

4.2. Ships’ Technical Data Analysis

Data describing ship structure and equipment has been analysed using the web-based ‘Sea-web’ database provided by IHS Markit Global (maritime.ihs.com (accessed on 11 December 2021) in the fourth quarter of 2021. Updated on an ongoing basis, the database stores the most important data on ships, shipowners, and shipbuilders. As regards to the analysis of technologies supporting the CS performance, taking into consideration the contents of CSR reports and sustainability reports, the database provides information on the number of implementations of technologies reducing harmful emissions from ships. The following shipborne solutions and systems have been identified in the database: alternative shore to ship power supply (cold ironing), engines adapted or adaptable for gas fuel (gas fuelled or gas ready), engines equipped with a system reducing NO_x emissions (main engine Tier III), a funnel system with an installed solution reducing SO_x emissions or ready for such installation (scrubber fitted or scrubber ready). A list of vessels owned by the top ten shipowners who have implemented solutions reducing emissions from ships is shown in

Table 2. Statistics on technologies reducing harmful emissions from ships.

Container Operator	Number of Ships	Technologies Reducing Harmful Emissions from Ships
		Cold Ironing	Gas Fuelled or Gas Ready	Main Engine Tier III	Scrubber Fitted or Scrubber Ready
MSC	639	79	58	28	212
Maersk	613	36	1	6	107
CMA CGM	535	49	44	28	80
COSCO	318	42	17	6	40
Evergreen	279	86	0	0	133
Hapag-Lloyd	251	36	29	4	28
ONE	205	55	4	0	17
HMM	129	56	46	23	96
Zim	104	2	25	0	6
YangMing	100	34	0	0	31
All above	3173	475	224	95	750
All container ships	6087	539	242	198	995
All above/All container ships	52.1%	88.1%	92.6%	48.0%	75.4%

. Figure 3 shows differences between the shipowners under analysis in terms of the number of implementations.

All the shipowners under investigation use cold ironing and scrubbers, i.e., technologies which are relatively inexpensive and quick to implement. Only some of them have invested in technologies which require a major alteration of the vessel’s main propulsion system, i.e., eight out of ten shipowners operate gas-fuelled vessels, and six out of ten vessels which meet the Tier III standards. The leaders in terms of the number of implementations in their own fleet are MSC, CMA CGM, and HMM, with Zim and ONE closing the list.

4.3. Patent Analysis

The first stage of the patent analysis consisted of the selection of a pool of patents relevant to sustainability in maritime transport. For this purpose, the patent database was searched for patent titles and abstracts which included the predetermined key words. The research quest was as follows: (‘ship’ OR ‘maritime transport’ OR ‘sea transport’ OR ‘sea shipping’) AND (environment* OR ecolog* OR social* OR sustainab*). The first group of words restricted the pool to patents in the maritime industry, the second one to the domain of corporate sustainability. What is worth noting here is the inclusion of the word ‘social’ in the key words. Not really associated with technical solutions, it had the smallest number of instances and appeared in 300 of the pool patents. Nevertheless, it is worth including in the pool to cover all aspects of the CS. The word ‘social’ appeared only in some parts of abstracts where the patent applicant explained the significance of a certain solution. For example, one of the patent application abstracts included a statement that the solution had some ‘practical value and important social significance’.

The procedure produced a pool of 9721 patents. The pool was downloaded in September 2021. The lower time limit for granting the patent had not been set. The oldest patent included in the pool was granted in 1974. For many years, little interest was expressed by inventors in the topic in question; only in the recent years, the number of patents related to sustainable shipping seems to have been on a rising trend. The pool has been analysed for the geographical distribution of patent applicants, types of applicants and areas of interest of inventors.

China is an undisputed leader in the number of granted patents (see Figure 4, broken down by years), soaring ahead of other countries in terms of numbers and a rapid growth trend. In 2017–2020, the number of patents granted to Chinese inventors increased by a whopping 130%, leaving Europe and the USA behind.

Results of the text analysis, which generates words that give in-depth insight into the patent pool, are also worth a closer look. Figure 5 shows the twenty most commonly repeated noun groups in the patent pool. The quality of the analysis is at a high level of 79.25%, which means that the word groups shown in Figure 5 have been selected from 7704 out of 9721 patents in the pool. The results indicate the core content of the patents under analysis. Energy consumption and ship navigation turned out to be the most frequently explored areas, followed by ballast tank, ship hull, and mother ship. The patented solutions are dedicated to various segments of the shipping industry; some of them are universal, developed for application on board many types of vessels, others more specialised, targeted at a narrower branch of maritime activity, such as fishing vessels, deep-sea mining, or dredging systems.

Next, the patent pool was analysed for the number of main groups of patents according to the Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC).

Table 3. The largest main groups according to the CPC classification on sustainable shipping.

Class	Subclass	Main Group
		Name	Number of Patents
Y02—Technologies or applications for mitigation or adaptation against climate change	Y02T—Climate change mitigation technologies related to transportation	Y02T70/00—Maritime or waterways transport	168
	Y02E—Reduction of greenhouse gas [ghg] emissions, related to energy generation, transmission or distribution	Y02E10/00—Energy generation through renewable energy sources	151
B63—Ships or other waterborne vessels; related equipment	B63B—Ships or other waterborne vessels; equipment for shipping	B63B35/00—Vessels or similar floating structures specially adapted for specific purposes and not otherwise provided for	105

shows the largest main groups with the assignment to classes and subclasses (subordinate in the patent classification hierarchy). A large number of subclasses to which the patents have been assigned reflects the wide scope of areas they cover. The two largest main groups fall into class Y02 technologies or applications for mitigation or adaptation against climate change. This special class was created by the European Patent Office (EPO) in 2009 to discern patents which could be related to a human intervention directed to reduce the sources or enhance the sinks of greenhouse gases [73]. Class Y02 encompasses cross-sectional technologies, subclass Y02T the same type of technologies across all branches of transport. Lower in the classification are main groups by branch of transport. Most of the patents in the pool under analysis have been assigned to one of these main groups, encompassing solutions for sea transport. Second in terms of the number patents comes the main group with solutions for renewable energy sources which reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The third largest group is in subclass B63B ships and other waterborne vessels, and covers, without limitation, their hydrostatic, hydrodynamic, structural, and design features.

It is interesting to note the patent subgroups which grew most rapidly in the last three years, as they need not correspond to the areas for which the largest total number of patents was reported. The results identify areas of most vivid research interest, where there is potential for further scientific and research work. The patent application dynamics is one of the factors to be taken into consideration by decision makers when estimating future development trends. The technologies which are on the upward slope of the S-curve of innovation tend to correspond to a high growth in the patent activity [74]. In the patent pool under analysis, four subclasses were characterised by such a strong growth trend in 2020: G08G traffic control systems, E21B earth drilling, C09D coating compositions, and B63J auxiliaries on vessels. This means that they are interesting candidates for further screening by the shipping industry managers. A strong focus of investors on these subclasses indicates that the solutions are on their way to reach the maturity phase in the technology life cycle.

To sum up, the scientific and research activity in the area of sustainable shipping has been thriving in the recent years. The shipbuilding industry, especially the construction of cargo ships, has been driven mainly by operations of shipyards in Far East China, South Korea, and Japan [75]. The same countries produce the greatest number of patented solutions in the area of sustainable shipping, with China outperforming the other three by a big margin. China is very successful in the R&D activity, not only in modern information technologies. In 2017, Chinese scientists submitted the greatest number of patent applications in artificial intelligence, regenerative medicine, autonomous vehicles, blockchain, cyber security, virtual reality, and drones [76]. Sustainable shipping is also in the area of interest for Chinese inventors. New solutions incorporating the concept of sustainability are being developed to address climate changes and support sea transport operators in the more traditional sense, e.g., in navigation.

4.4. Survey Analysis

The third and last research perspective adopted in the study was a questionnaire survey addressed to students in their final year of navigation. The survey was aimed at learning opinions and investigating perceptions of the shipping industry by young people who, although with a fresh approach to work at sea, already had some experience gained during their student placements. The student placement, which lasts several months, gives them an opportunity to make observations and draw conclusions concerning not only navigation and ship operation, but also crew management, work organisation, and cooperation with shippers and freight forwarders. Obviously, the students are not familiar with all the factors determining the operation of an enterprise. Nonetheless, their view of shipowners is worth examining. As representatives of generation Z, they are technology savvy and have well-developed sustainability awareness, with many of them engaged in sustainability initiatives. The questionnaire has been designed to measure how generation Z assesses the shipping industry’s involvement in the use of technology for the purpose of improving corporate sustainability performance. Information about the study sample is provided in

Table 4. Characteristics of respondents (n = 112).

Age	Number	Percentage [%]
18–24	94	83.93
25–35	18	16.7
over 36	-	-

.

The survey questions prompted respondents to identify the extent to which the use of new technologies on ships and in the supply chain contributed to: higher shipowner’s profits (1), improving the condition of the marine environment (2), better working conditions at sea (3), and better support for shippers and forwarders (4). The questions correspond to the four perspectives which are considered suitable for the examination of CS in the shipping industry. The first three questions relate to the three main aspects in which the concept of CS is defined, regardless of the industry. The question about contribution of new technologies to shipowner’s profits represents the economic aspect. The second question about the impact of new technologies on the improvement of the condition of the marine environment is related to the environmental aspect of CS, whereas the third one about the working conditions of seafarers represents the social aspect of CS. Question four does not relate directly to the three common aspects of CS. Nonetheless, its relevance stems from the specific character of operations of maritime transport companies, which provide services to cargo shippers, among them transnational organisations which have their own CS priorities and expectations in this regard towards cargo carriers. Since shipping is a B2B activity, shipowners should be considered as links in the supply chain, which contributes to reducing (or increasing) the carbon footprint generated by the carried goods. Hence, the fourth aspect is related to the possible impact that a shipowner may have on the collaborating businesses.

The 5-point Likert scale (1—not at all, 5—definitely) was used in the study. The results are shown in

Table 5. Average value (1–5 scale) and standard deviation of responses about the use of new technologies in the shipping industry in the CS context.

To What Extent the Use of New Technologies on Ships and the Maritime Supply Chain Contribute to:	Average Value	Standard Deviation (SD)
higher shipowner’s profits	3.61	1.05
improving the condition of the marine environment	3.39	1.00
better working conditions at sea	3.49	1.14
better support for shippers and forwarders	3.47	1.06

and in more detail in Figure 6 and Figure 7. The internal consistency of the survey was assessed on the basis of the Cronbach’s alpha coefficient. Cronbach’s alpha for the obtained results equalled 0.7377, which is above the threshold criteria 0.7 and means that data is considered as highly acceptable (Rahman et al., [77]).

The relatively high average values show that the respondents positively assessed shipowners’ efforts to employ new technologies as tools improving their overall CS performance. The highest rated is the economic aspect, i.e., in the opinion of the respondents, new technologies applied in the shipping industry first and foremost translate to higher profitability of shipowners. The contribution of new technologies to improving the condition of the marine environment has been assessed as the least effective.

The detailed breakdown of results shown below confirms that a majority of respondents positively assess the impact of technologies on the improvement of the CS performance (the total of ‘Somewhat’ and ‘Definitely’). A large group (34–46%) indicated the neutral impact of technologies in the areas under investigation, which may suggest indecision. On the whole, the respondents were not convinced that new technologies improve the condition of the marine environment; however, the percentage of explicitly negative opinions to this question was not high. Only a little more than ten percent of the respondents expressed an explicitly negative opinion on the opportunities presented by new technologies.

It is worth noting here that the survey was addressed to representatives of generation Z. The respondents expressed their opinions on how convincing they found the CS activities pursued by enterprises operating in the shipping industry and whether they really believed that new technologies improved shipowners’ CS performance. The respondents are familiar with the shipping industry, as they have had their student practice placement at sea; however, they are still not employed with shipping companies. Nevertheless, their outsider’s opinions are valuable, as they were shaped during the first contact with a shipping company. Regardless, it would be an overstatement to say that shipowners successfully pursue a strategy, targeted at future seafarers, promoting shipping companies as potential employers who change the world of maritime transport for better using new technologies.

To sum up, a majority of the respondents positively viewed the opportunities presented by new technologies in the shipping industry. They seem to be more sceptical about the potential of emerging technologies for improvement of the condition of the marine environment.

5. Discussion and Conclusions

A multi-perspective view on the shipping industry can lead to new, interesting findings on the directions of development of sea transport. The awareness which has been developed of the share that emissions from ships have in the total amount of global harmful emissions has prompted the introduction of a number of legal restrictions and numerous initiatives on the part of shipowners. Many of the initiatives are faced with technical challenges and require the implementation of state-of-the-art technologies with regards to the ship’s structure and equipment as well as the environment of the integrated transport and logistics system. Assessment of these activities and their impact on strengthening corporate sustainability in shipping companies is the main goal of this multi-disciplinary research, which fills a major gap identified in the studies conducted so far. The utilisation of emerging technologies on the way to attain the goals of corporate sustainability strategies in the shipping industry has been analysed through finding answers to three research questions (RQ), which helped structure the research process.

The first RQ is worded as follows: In what areas of operation do shipping companies use new technologies to increase corporate sustainability? Sustainability reports identify three main areas of use of emerging technologies: environmental protection, logistics chain management, and, to a lesser extent, internal management systems. Little effort is made to use new technologies in a way which would be beneficial to shipowners’ employees or business partners. Three commonly applied technological solutions reduce harmful emissions by ships, namely cold ironing, scrubbers, and gas (mainly LNG) engines. The systems have been implemented on 75–93% of container ships currently in operation. Major modifications in the ship’s structure and equipment have been made to comply with the newly introduced laws, under which Emission Controlled Areas (ECA) are being extended globally. Further technological advancements can be expected, with the greatest challenges faced by bulk carriers and tankers, which have the largest share in the global ocean-going fleet and have not been covered by this study.

RQ 2 is worded as follows: What trends are there in the patent activity for sustainable shipping? The patent analysis results are in line with the results retrieved from the database of ship registers. Patent protection has been obtained mainly for technologies reducing harmful emissions and mitigating climate change. A vast majority of patent applications is related to the shipbuilding industry, with China being an undisputed leader in the number of submitted applications, which is consistent with China’s share in the volume of vessels manufactured globally. It is worth noting here that the analysis has pointed to new growing trends in the thematic scope of patent applications, such as traffic control systems, earth drilling, coating compositions, and auxiliaries on vessels.

The third and last RQ is worded as follows: How do future seafarers view the use of new technologies in the pursuit of CS goals across all aspects of the concept? Most of the respondents viewed new technologies as being effective mainly in the economic and social aspects of shipping companies’ operations. In the opinion of generation Z, CS activities improve the operating conditions in the shipping industry as well as strengthen its image. What is interesting is that new technologies are believed to have the least potential in environmental protection actions, taken to improve the condition of marine environment using emerging technologies, however this is insufficient for an assessment. To conclude, shipowners need to put more effort into using new technologies for environmental protection in order to effectively communicate and build a reputation of an attractive employer.

All in all, taking into consideration the activities of shipowners, the identified trends in the development of new technologies, and the opinion of prospective seafarers, emerging technologies are being considered to enhance corporate sustainability in sea shipping. The key goals are to reduce harmful emissions and improve external (maritime logistics chains) and internal (shipping companies) management. The former has not been adequately emphasised by the future seafarers, which may indicate a need for continuous updating of teaching curricula in maritime education and training.

The transformation towards sustainable shipping has become a fact, and has a long way ahead. All shipping companies have no choice but to participate and adapt to new technological and safety standards. The changes have been imposed by new legal regulations as well as the pressure from shippers and logistics operators. The process of the integration of sea- and land-based logistics chains seems to be a natural accelerator of the inevitable changes leading to working out uniform standards of sustainable development. The analyses discussed in this paper prove that the criticism faced by shipping companies in the past (for their reluctance to implement environmentally friendly solutions) is no longer valid. A large potential for new activities is acknowledged, including the engagement of new technologies to improve social sustainability for the benefit of shipowners’ employees and business partners. At least, this was one of the expectations expressed by future sea officers who are about to embark on this challenging job.

These research results can be used by different types of actors but especially by shipowners in the development of CSR strategies and investment decisions for new tonnage, ship equipment, and management systems and in the active creation of a sustainable employer brand. Potential target groups include international institutions, such as the EU and the IMO, whose work on developing strategies for decarbonisation, climate protection, and reporting on sustainable activities is still in its infancy and requires many more in-depth analyses. Research institutes, inventors, shipyards, and suppliers of equipment and IT systems for the maritime industry will also benefit from the research results. Our research has certain limitations, the overcoming of which is, at the same time, a possible direction for future research. The study has been limited to a single shipping market segment, the container-carriers. We are planning further study to analyse other segments, i.e., bulk carriers, tankers, general cargo ships, and cruise ships. It would also be recommended to extend the study sample to smaller shipowners, and compare the CS activities undertaken by market leaders with those pursued by players with a smaller share in global sea transport. Moreover, targeted research is recommended, aimed at examining differences in the perception of corporate sustainability by representatives of various social and cultural groups.