Why maritime regulation takes time to evolve

And why the human element is hard to incorporate 

The global maritime industry has always walked a tightrope between safety and profit. While significant progress has been made in regulation, largely thanks to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), meaningful change still takes years. 

A historical example is the Plimsoll Line, the load line introduced to prevent ships from being dangerously overloaded. Proposed by British MP Samuel Plimsoll in the 1870s, it wasn’t universally implemented until more than 30 years later. This slow progress reflects the fundamental tension at the heart of maritime regulation: the push for safety versus the pull of commercial interests. 

Today, the same dynamic continues, with one major difference. Despite massive advancements in technical systems and operational data collection, the human element remains underutilised in decision-making. 

The IMO is structured and intentional, and consensus-driven 

Since its founding in 1948, the IMO has created a structured, consensus-driven approach to international maritime safety and environmental regulation. Its conventions, like SOLAS (Safety of Life at Sea) and MARPOL (Marine Pollution) are implemented via national laws across its 176 member states. 

But this structure comes at a cost: speed 

• Why does creating new regulations take so long? Because decisions are made in committees involving both states and over 80 recognised NGOs, each with its own interests 

• Why is it complicated? Because regulations must serve a global industry with massive economic, legal, and political diversity 

The result is often a commercial compromise, where the final rules are not optimal to every stakeholder equally, but acceptable to all parties. And there's often a loophole (is it too soon to mention scrubbers?!) 

The human element: valued in principle 

IMO documentation emphasises the importance of the human element in safety. Seafarers are recognised as more than operators; they’re professionals with experience and insight that could inform better safety policy. Yet the industry focuses on technical and operational data, while human performance data, mental health indicators, and behavioural feedback are hard to come by. 

Why? 

• Technical data is easier to measure and quantify 

• Human data is complex and qualitative 

• Lack of incentive to spotlight poor working conditions, fatigue, or mental stress, especially when commercial interests are at stake 

Despite frequent calls for a more human-centred approach, decision-makers often operate with a lack of data and assumptions, rather than structured, anonymised feedback from seafarers themselves. 

Data as the basis for decision-making 

The maritime sector is already seeing disruptive innovations in propulsion, digital navigation, emissions tracking, and automation. But innovation in regulatory thinking for the human element is still lagging. What’s needed is not just faster implementation of rules, but a deeper shift in how we source and prioritise knowledge: 

• Start with seafarers' data 

• Design feedback loops that are short and direct  

• Integrate soft data (morale, fatigue, decision-making errors) with technical metrics 

This requires a more holistic approach: One that values both “hard” technical systems and the “soft” human systems that operate them. And one that treats frontline insight as primary data, not anecdotal evidence. 

Current-day technologies offer a way of collecting valuable data on human behaviour and safety culture.

As seafarers are central to safety, then their voices and data should be prioritised as a core input to regulation. Are you part of the maritime decision-making chain? Ask yourself: 

• Are we listening to the professionals who are closest to risk? 

• Are we building regulation that serves people, not just systems? 

If not, it’s time to change course. Partner with behavioural experts. Use smarter data. Push for regulation that is not just technically sound but also human-centred, effective – and makes commercial sense.