Solving the 5–10% problem will require changes not only in technology but also in how performance claims are measured, validated and communicated. Greater transparency, clearer baselines and more robust verification practices are essential if the industry is to rebuild trust in efficiency claims. This final insight outlines the key recommendations for improving how fuel-saving performance is measured and verified across the shipping industry.
For the industry to progress, several steps need to be taken. One of the most critical is the development of practical and verifiable standards.
Overcoming the 5–10% problem will require neutral, multi-stakeholder collaboration rather than vendor-led claims. Third-party verification must be embedded and vendors must move away from glossy marketing and towards transparent methods, case studies, and collaborative validation.
The first recommendation is that vendors should publish uncertainty ranges alongside all efficiency claims. Whenever a fuel-saving percentage is reported, it should be accompanied by an uncertainty range.
For example, a fuel saving should be stated as 5% ± 2% rather than a single exact number. This makes it clear that the claimed savings are not a guaranteed, precise figure but an estimate subject to measurement error and operational variability.
Another recommendation is to reset the approach to fuel performance verification. Verification should be a joint, transparent process involving neutral third parties and key stakeholders in test design and data review, rather than relying solely on a vendor’s internal testing.
Transparency requires that test methods and underlying data are openly accessible and clearly explained, including how measurements were taken, how results were processed, and what conditions were accounted for.
The report also recommends shifting the focus from marketing claims to measurement discipline. Vendors should differentiate through verification rather than the volume of claims.
Introducing industry-endorsed labelling or certification could reward vendors who submit to independent testing and make performance data public.
Developing a shared measurement framework is another key step. This framework should include transparent baseline definitions, standardised metrics, confidence intervals, and independent verification layers.
Finally, the industry must push for education, trust, and shared methodologies. Progress will depend on collaboration and methodological consensus rather than competing claims of performance.
Ultimately, the challenge is not whether fuel savings exist but whether they can be credibly measured and verified. Only by aligning commercial incentives with rigorous, transparent measurement practices can the industry restore trust and support genuine efficiency improvements.
Download ‘The 5-10% Illusion’ and explore why the maritime industry’s reliance on unverified efficiency claims is eroding trust, and discover a framework to restore measurement discipline.
