Green Marine Europe Green Shipping Industry Day 2025

Co-organised by Green Marine Europe and the Horizon Europe consortia CirclesOfLife and EcoShipYard, the Green Shipping Industry Day 2025 brought together nearly 230 participants in Brussels – including institutional, industrial, port, non-profit, and academic representatives – for a full day dedicated to the challenges and solutions of the maritime environmental transition.

Held under the banner of European and international cooperation, this edition explored key themes including innovation, biodiversity, sustainable ports, and competitiveness. The morning was dedicated to the mid-term conference of the CirclesOfLife and EcoShipYard consortia, followed in the afternoon by Green Marine Europe’s annual event.

Starting in 2026, Green Marine Europe’s annual gathering will take on a new scope and a new name: the Green Shipping Day – now a must-attend European event for the environmental transition of maritime transport.

📍Next edition: Nice, Fall 2026.

In the meantime, here’s a look back at the highlights of the Green Shipping Industry Day 2025.

Green Shipping Industry Day 2025 – Key Takeaways

The Green Shipping Industry Day 2025, co-organized in Brussels by Green Marine Europe and the Horizon Europe consortia CirclesOfLife and EcoShipYard, brought together nearly 230 European stakeholders from the maritime, industrial, and research sectors around a shared goal: accelerating the environmental transition of maritime transport.

Under the banner of European and international cooperation, discussions focused on four main themes: innovation, biodiversity, sustainable ports, and competitiveness.

🟢 Innovation & Investment — Calls were made for suitable infrastructure and strong support for low-carbon technologies, notably wind propulsion. The EcoShipYard and CirclesOfLife projects presented tangible tools to green shipbuilding: material passports, environmental performance platforms, and digital twins.

🐋 Biodiversity — Underwater noise and ship strikes were central to the debates. The consensus was clear: voluntary measures have reached their limits—binding regulations are now essential.

⚓ Sustainable Ports — Cooperation, circularity, and innovation were in the spotlight, with both regional and European initiatives (PIONEERS, Ports of Nouvelle-Aquitaine). Shore power emerged as a key solution, still hindered by funding challenges.

🌱 Certification & Competitiveness — Brittany Ferries, MSC Cruises, and CMA CGM highlighted that the Green Marine Europe certification is more than a label: it is a cultural and strategic driver of sustainable transformation within the industry.

🔹 Closing Session — David Bolduc (Green Marine International), Laurent Martens (Armateurs de France), and Alain Mistre (Port of Nice) emphasized the need to stay the course on sustainability, while ensuring economic viability, maritime employment, and access to European funding.