Sustainability
Regulation, managed with the owner in mind.
Environmental regulation has become a commercial factor. Since 2023, every vessel carries an IMO efficiency rating that charterers increasingly review before fixing. Since 2024, voyages to and from Europe carry a carbon cost, and since 2025, a limit applies to the carbon intensity of the energy used on board. For an owner, these rules now influence a vessel’s employability, its earnings and, over time, its value.
STM manages them as part of the commercial management of each vessel: monitoring performance throughout the year, anticipating requirements before they become constraints, and making sure every cost is understood and allocated where it belongs.
Technical compliance.
EEXI compliance is coordinated with owners and classification societies, including engine or shaft power limitation where required. Throughout the year, we follow each vessel’s CII trajectory, so that speed, routing and port time can be adjusted before a rating comes under pressure.
Emissions cost.
EU ETS and FuelEU Maritime exposure is calculated voyage by voyage. We make sure these costs are reflected in charter party terms and allocated correctly between owner and charterer, so they never become an unplanned expense.
Reporting.
EU MRV and IMO DCS reporting is handled end to end, from data collection to verification.
EU Voyages: The Full Cost of Carbon
Since 2026, every tonne of CO₂ on EU voyages carries its full price. For owners, carbon is no longer a footnote. It is a line in the voyage account.
Key regulations. At a glance.
EEXI
Energy Efficiency Existing Ship Index (IMO, since 2023). A one-time technical rating of a vessel’s design efficiency. Ships above the required threshold are typically brought into line through engine or shaft power limitation.
CII
Carbon Intensity Indicator (IMO, since 2023). An annual operational rating from A to E, based on CO₂ emitted per tonne-mile. Thresholds tighten each year, and a vessel rated D for three consecutive years, or E once, requires a corrective action plan.
EU ETS
EU Emissions Trading System (since 2024). Shipping companies must surrender emission allowances for voyages linked to the EU: all emissions within the EU and at berth, and half of those on voyages into or out of it. The cost can be shared with charterers through contract terms.
Fuel EU Maritime
EU regulation (since 2025). Sets a progressively lower limit on the greenhouse gas intensity of the energy used on board, from a 2% reduction in 2025 to 80% by 2050. Shortfalls lead to penalties, unless offset through mechanisms such as pooling.
EU MRV and IMO DCS
Monitoring, Reporting & Verification and Data Collection schemes. Annual, verified reporting of fuel consumption and emissions. These data form the basis for CII ratings and EU ETS obligations.