As the global shipping industry braces for one of its most demanding decades yet, marked by accelerating decarbonisation, digital transformation and sweeping regulation, PwC sees not just disruption, but a turning point.

For the firm’s maritime experts, the challenge is clear: to help clients weather uncertainty with clarity, agility and long-term direction.

Speaking ahead of Nor-Shipping 2025, PwC’s Martin Alexandersen, Juergen Peterseim and Socrates Leptos-Bourgi reflected on how maritime leaders are rethinking their strategies, and how PwC is evolving in step.

For Alexandersen, who heads Shipping and Offshore at PwC Norway, uncertainty remains the defining challenge.

He pointed to the complex interplay between ESG requirements, capital decisions, digital transition and regulation.

“It’s all connected,” he said, adding that the backdrop of geopolitical tensions, trade instability and energy market volatility only raises the stakes.

Still, he believes those who act with conviction can turn disruption into momentum.

Leptos-Bourgi, PwC’s Global Shipping and Ports Leader based in Athens, shared a similar view.

He noted that strategic responses must vary widely, smaller companies are often too cost-sensitive to adopt new technologies, while larger firms can afford to experiment.

In every case, however, he argued that “flexible, bespoke strategies” are essential, and generic solutions are no longer enough.

This push for tailored support is evident in PwC’s latest Net Zero Shipping Study.

The firm is analysing the impact of switching to greener fuels on transported goods, including smartphones, washing machines and cars, with some unexpectedly reassuring conclusions. According to Peterseim, director of Sustainability Services at PwC Germany, in many cases the cost passed on to the end product is less than 0.1 per cent.

He said that proves companies don’t need to wait for a perfect regulatory or technological environment to act, they can begin now, especially on routes where sustainable economics already align.

The study also assesses which vessel types, trade lanes and fuel combinations deliver the most effective emissions reductions by 2030 or 2050.

Peterseim said the goal is to help shipping companies plan smartly, not just reactively. He added that the work has value far beyond maritime, from automotive to consumer electronics, many companies are now looking closely at how low-carbon transport affects their Scope 3 emissions and pricing models.

Regional variation, though, remains a defining factor. In Norway, Alexandersen sees operators grappling with new EU rules such as FuelEU Maritime and the emissions trading scheme.

He noted that the questions, and answers, vary depending on the company’s size, fleet and routes.

In Greece, Leptos-Bourgi described a market where smaller operators are under growing pressure to comply with complex rules, leading many to consider consolidation as a survival strategy.

Fuel strategy, too, is far from straightforward. Peterseim said clients are increasingly wary of locking themselves into a single path.

With future viability uncertain for fuels like ammonia or methanol, he explained that many are planning for multi-fuel readiness and rethinking their entire routing models.

Although PwC is known for audit and tax, all three made clear that the firm’s value proposition has broadened.

Leptos-Bourgi said they now support clients across the full chain, from ESG disclosures and digitalisation to cyber risk and workforce transformation, and have brought in industry veterans to ensure operational credibility.

He added that digitalisation is not just about software or AI, but also about leadership and culture.

Peterseim echoed that, noting that PwC has hired engineers, chemists and fuel specialists to meet rising demand for in-depth technical advice.

Still, trust remains the foundation. Alexandersen said clients turn to PwC because they expect precision, whether in their financial statements, sustainability reporting or risk management.

For PwC, returning as a strategic partner of Nor-Shipping is not a branding move but a reflection of its commitment to the sector.

Alexandersen said it’s where the right conversations happen, while Leptos-Bourgi described the event as a platform where real collaboration across sectors becomes possible.

Asked what advice they would give to shipping leaders preparing for 2030, all three offered a common theme: flexibility.

Peterseim said that vessel design, fuel strategy and supply chain models all need to remain adaptable, warning that customers will increasingly demand green solutions.

Leptos-Bourgi’s message was more blunt, to expect the unexpected and build resilience, a lesson reinforced since the pandemic.

For Alexandersen, the takeaway is that collaboration matters more than ever, as the weight of each strategic decision grows.