SUSTAINABILITY SERVICES FOR FINANCIERS AND SHIPOWNERS
Green finance is becoming increasingly important for owners looking to build new ships or retrofit their existing fleet. Owners obtain finance from banks to minimize the environmental impact of vessels and comply with upcoming emissions targets, with loans tied to the carbon intensity of vessels. Financing for alternative fuels is also on the rise to support the scale-up of production and help owners and operators meet environmental standards.
New public programs are being implemented to spur private investment in sustainability, such as the EU Innovation Fund and the UK Maritime Transition Fund. Both of these seek to deploy capital to accelerate the adoption of green fuels, zero-emission vessels and bunkering infrastructure.
Finance institutions and their adjacent stakeholders are now eager to receive regular updates on shipping. This includes information on shipping regulations and the latest technological advancements.
We leverage our world-class technical expertise to provide financial institutions and other adjacent stakeholders with a wide range of services to support their entire green financing journey.
- Provision of real-time access to experts, who can share knowledge and insights about the rapidly changing shipping market, technologies, regulations and the energy transition.
- Definition of strategy and criteria, as well as assess and monitor portfolios by reviewing vessels’ environmental performance and carrying out technical due diligence.
Poseidon Principles
We are a proud supporter of the Poseidon Principles, a global framework for assessing and disclosing the climate alignment of financial institutions’ shipping portfolios. The principles establish a shared, global standard to quantitatively assess and disclose whether financial institutions’ lending portfolios follow their climate goals. The Poseidon Principles are in line with the International Maritime Organization’s 2023 Strategy on the Reduction of GHG Emissions from Ships, which tasks the maritime industry with reaching net zero by 2050.
As of early 2025, 35 financial institutions are signatories to the Poseidon Principles, representing nearly 80% of global ship finance. Bureau Veritas provides services to financial institutions to verify compliance with these principles.
Expertise in shipping for the finance sector
Financial institutions are increasingly seeking updates on shipping regulations, which are becoming more complex (such as the IMO NZF and the EU Regulations) and getting forecast on how the regulations will evolve. Bureau Veritas is well-positioned to provide these insights to the finance sector.
Additionally, BV is also well-equipped to share insights on the latest technological developments, providing the finance sector with the necessary knowledge to evaluate projects effectively.
Our green financing services
Bureau Veritas is by our clients’ side to help navigate the many pathways to net zero.
Our Sustainability Team (in both BV and BVS) bridges the gap between regulatory compliance and customer needs on sustainability by developing new commercial offerings.
We are committed to supporting the need for transparency and validation around today’s key environmental issues.
Our independent subsidiary, BV Solutions M&O, can act on behalf of banks, investment institutions or shipowners to provide technical advisory and validation services underpinning sustainable bond issuances.
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Technical and market advisory services
We advise our clients on a wide range of technologies, both new and established, helping them make the best choices to manage their wider sustainability footprint.
We share expertise related to the maritime industry’s energy transition, including the ever-changing regulatory environment.
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Due diligence
We conduct technical due diligence on specific vessels and technologies.
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Portfolio monitoring
We monitor bank portfolios and report on alignment with the Poseidon Principles and other schemes.
Specifically, we assess ships’ environmental performance against banks’ internal criteria or fleet averages.
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Verification of compliance with governmental schemes
Under the EU taxonomy for sustainable activities, we provide second party opinions and alignment statements verifying compliance for green loans and bonds.
We review calculations for avoided emissions under the EU Innovation Fund criteria.
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Expertise supporting the validation of green loans
Our team works with financial institutions around the world to help them validate Green Loans under EU rules, the Poseidon Principles or other green environmental criteria.
We share technical expertise with our clients to aid in their due diligence processes and help define green criteria related to fuel consumption where needed.
We also help shipowners validate their compliance with EU criteria to receive public financing.
Sustainability team
Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore
“At Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore, with our technical advisory arm BV Solutions M&O, we hold a wealth of expertise to share with clients to help them find the best path to achieve their environmental goals. From financing services to validation of compliance with new regulatory schemes, we are by our clients’ side to support them in their decision-making on technical choices.”
