Key trends shaping dry bulk shipping in 2025: safety, sustainability and geopolitical risk

The dry bulk shipping sector entered 2025 under mounting pressure from safety risks, decarbonisation demands and geopolitical instability, as highlighted in INTERCARGO’s Annual Review cited by safety4sea . The report outlines how safety performance, seafarer welfare and regulatory clarity are emerging as decisive factors for shipowners and operators navigating an increasingly volatile market.

 

INTERCARGO Chair John Xylas stresses that throughout 2025 the Association focused on supporting its members and strengthening the voice of dry bulk shipping at the global level. As fleet renewal accelerates, INTERCARGO is preparing to launch a Newbuilding Specification Working Group in 2026, aiming to offer practical guidance for owners facing complex technical and regulatory choices.

 

Sustainability remained a core priority, but not at the expense of safety. Secretary General Kostas G. Gkonis underlines that decarbonisation must go hand in hand with robust international standards. New fuels and technologies introduce unfamiliar risks, making safety management and crew training critical as the industry moves toward lower emissions.

 

Safety investigations and lessons learned

 

Bulk carrier incident investigations continue to serve as a cornerstone of safety performance. In July 2025, the IMO III Sub-Committee approved 36 new “Lessons Learned”, addressing recurring causes such as collisions, fires, groundings and enclosed space accidents. These findings reinforce the role of data-driven safety improvements across the dry bulk fleet.

 

Red Sea conflict reshapes risk calculations

 

Geopolitical tensions emerged as the most destabilising factor of 2025. Attacks in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden have gone far beyond piracy, involving missiles and unmanned drones. The sinking of bulk carriers Magic Seas and Eternity C in 2025, following earlier losses in 2024, marked a dramatic escalation, forcing widespread rerouting away from the Suez Canal. It warns that freedom of navigation is under direct threat and that civilian seafarers must not become collateral damage.

 

Persistent piracy and armed robbery

 

While Somali piracy remains largely contained due to naval patrols and Best Management Practices, renewed incidents in late 2025 show that the threat has not disappeared. At the same time, low-level armed robberies continue in the Singapore and Malacca Straits, targeting vessels at anchor or moving slowly. These incidents underline the need for constant vigilance, strict onboard procedures and rapid reporting through regional information-sharing centres.

 

Digitalisation and cyber resilience

 

Digital transformation is accelerating, but uneven technological maturity across fleets exposes new vulnerabilities. INTERCARGO points to ransomware, spoofing and supply-chain attacks as dominant threats. Closing the operational technology knowledge gap through continuous crew training and embedding cyber resilience into safety management systems are now business-critical priorities.

 

Looking ahead to 2026, INTERCARGO calls for stronger cooperation across the dry bulk sector, continued support for the IMO as the sole global regulator, and balanced global solutions that protect trade while keeping seafarers at the centre. For industry leaders, the message is clear: safety, sustainability and resilience are no longer parallel goals – they are inseparable drivers of long-term competitiveness.

 

Picture: aerial-drone/AdobeStock