Doctoral theses of the School of Engineering at Aaltodoc (external link)
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Public defence, real estate economics, DI Laura Sariola
The dissertation highlights variation in governance practices for marine pollution prevention across countries and shipping companies. Public defence from the Aalto University School of Engineering, Department of Built Environment.
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Title of the thesis: Navigating Responsibility: Case-Based Data Analysis of ESG, Regulatory Context, and Sanctions in Vessel-Source Pollution Prevention in Northern Waters (2010–2020)
Thesis defender: Laura Sariola
Opponent: Senior Lecturer/ Associate Professor Jaakko Salminen, Uppsala University, Sweden
Custos: Professor Ari Ekroos, Aalto University School of Engineering, Department of Built Environment
The study examines marine pollution prevention from the perspectives of regulation, sanctions and corporate responsibility
The doctoral dissertation examines the prevention of vessel-source marine pollution in Northern Waters at the international, national and corporate levels. The findings highlight differences between countries in regulatory implementation and sanction systems, as well as variation in shipping companies’ ESG practices and reporting. The study also proposes an ESG reporting framework for shipping companies, bringing together key themes relevant to the maritime sector.
International maritime regulation has been developed over several decades to reduce environmental impacts and improve maritime safety. Regulation is implemented at the national level, while national sanction systems and corporate practices are among the other factors relevant to environmental responsibility in shipping. The doctoral research examines these issues through three empirical case studies focusing on Northern Waters between 2010 and 2020. The first case study examines the implementation of international IMO instruments across 17 flag States and differences in their implementation. The second compares the implementation of sanctions for oil discharges under MARPOL Annex I in eight Baltic Sea and North Sea States. The third analyses the ESG practices and reporting of shipping companies associated with serious environmental incidents. The study identified differences in the implementation of international regulatory instruments, national sanction systems, and corporate ESG practices and reporting. By examining these issues in parallel, the research provides insights into environmental governance in shipping from the perspectives of international regulation, national implementation and corporate practices.
The study also proposes an ESG reporting framework for shipping companies that brings together key environmental, social and governance themes relevant to the maritime sector.
Key words: marine pollution, vessel-source pollution, shipping, environmental governance, MARPOL, emission pollution sanctions, ESG, legislation, the Arctic area, the Baltic Sea, the North Sea
Thesis available for public display 7 days prior to the defence at Aalto University's public display page.
Contact information: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurasariola/
Doctoral theses of the School of Engineering
