I am not in a position to answer all parts of this question but can shed some light on a few items. When it comes to international shipping industry policy the first place to look is the UN/IMO protocols. Likely the most recently signed agreement on the implementation of low sulfur fuels has had the most immediate impact. Vessel owners had to make decisions about using the new higher cost low sulfur fuels and in some cases adding newer environmentally friendly upgrades to older vessels. Adding the upgrades to older vessels made sense for some during the onset of COVID and the subsequent escalated cost of shipping rates. However, post COVID with rates coming down dramatically many of these older vessels will likely be scrapped since they can no longer be operated profitably. Digging farther back you will find any number of additional IMO formulated agreements and protocols that nation signatories have signed onto, each of which has implementation costs associated with it. For example, protocols on oil spill threat mitigation and cleanup had financial implications across the fleet. With regards to any one specific nation state the application of the protocols depend upon whether they were a signatory to the agreement in the majority of cases. Also, it is important to remember that a shipping company may be hosted in South Africa but the company's vessels are registered in a Flag of Convenience nation e.g. Panama. This means the vessel must be in compliance with agreements and protocols relevant to the FOC under which it is registered - not the home location of the company owner.

Definitely it will .

I fully agree on Rick, however, maritime shipping is a very complex ecosystem full with strong (national) interest together with a rather weak international (legal) framework of regulations and conventions governed by UN ((IMO, ILO, etc.), EU as well as various interests group like BIMCO or Clean Cargo (formerly clean Cargo Working Group). Best read in this direction is

Book Farthing on International Shipping

Examples are cabotage operations along the coastline in Brazil (only national shipping lines are allowed to serve), or the Jones Act of the US stipulating that only US national vessels are allowed to serve Puerto Rico, Hawaii, Alaska and Guam from main land USA....

The main transport mode for global trade is ocean shipping: around 90% of traded goods are carried over the waves.

Maritime transport forms part of a whole cluster of economic activities that can create economic value added. This comes with opportunities and challenges. Shipping represents 2.9% of total greenhouse emissions. As demand for global freight increases, maritime trade volumes are set to triple by 2050.

The OECD and the International Transport Forum are working to chart the course for more efficient and sustainable maritime transport

I am looking at the practical angle of the shipping. My opinion is that a shipping policy is issued as a result of a certain need. In this particular example the need to reduce the pollution generated by vessels. In order to compensate this need generally we have to make an effort and consequently, we have to pay somehow the limitations that we set for ourselves. In our example the shipping policies will only generate limitations that we have to accept in order to preserve our future as a civilisation. This logic was verified and accepted by the majority of our maritime world leaders and it was transformed in regulation. Presently if someone wants to sail a commercial vessel in an international voyage, it has to comply with the maritime policies. In our example a new-building vessel has to comply with new regulations and the old vessels must be scrapped in a certain way. For the new vessels I think that the effort can be financial - using more expensive materials and equipment - but it can be also in terms of technology - we have the opportunity to put more brains into the ship design. For the scrapping process I cannot comment because I have not enough information.

My conclusion is that in the maritime world obviously we have to make an effort to preserve the environment but this effort is not necessarily financial, let's give our young engineers the liberty to create clean vessels, they might even have fun in the process.

يلعب الشحن البحري دور اساسي في الاقتصاد العالمي والتاثير خاصة في التجارة العالمية والتبادل التجاري لكن اعتماده الكلي على الناقلات العملاقة للحاويات التي تعتمد بدورها على الطاقة الاحفورية جعلها تساهم بنسبة كبيرة في الانبعاثات الغازية المؤثرة سلبا على الغلاف الجوي ومنه كمعادلة اقتصادية بيئية يعتبر الشحن البحري من الوسائل الاكثر مساهمة في الاقتصاد العالمي والاكثر تلويثا خاصة وان استخدام البدائل الطاقوية النظيفة للناقلات العملاقة الان غير مجد ومكلف اقتصاديا بسبب المسافات الكبيرة التي تقطعها بين الدول على مستوى القارات الخمس