The High Seas Treaty and regulation beyond borders

The agreement to protect vast swathes of international ocean waters from pollution and degradation is another new regulatory frontier for shipping. To an industry that has for some, a reputation for poor practices out of sight of land, it is a further reminder that regulation is stretching far beyond national borders.  

Among the responses to the signing, the Belgian minister of the North Sea termed the treaty. “A crucial step for anyone who cares about the oceans. It is to the ocean what the 2015 Paris Agreement is to the climate.” 

No-one working in shipping will miss the inference. Although shipping is globally subject to different rules, the IMO has made no secret of its desire to align its reduction in carbon intensity and emissions with the Paris accords. 

If the signatories to the treaty signal that a combination of ship-source pollution puts specific sea areas at risk, then shipping may find itself sailing on new, perhaps longer routes and having greater responsibility for controlling pollution while it does so. 

The question for lawmakers will be whether asking ships to sail differently is compatible with the aim of optimising voyages, reducing the use of fossil fuels and cutting carbon emissions. 

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