The Global Maritime Issues Monitor 2021 is based on a survey conducted between April 19 and May 23, 2021, which was completed by senior maritime stakeholders from the Global Maritime Forum, Marsh, and IUMI’s multistakeholder networks. Respondents included board members, C-suite, and functional decision makers from the private sector, alongside government and civil society representatives. The sample represents a diverse network of maritime stakeholders from six continents.

Respondents ranked a series of global maritime issues on their potential impact to seaborne trade, the likelihood of different events occurring over the next 10 years, and the maritime industry’s preparedness for these events. The survey looked at 19 general maritime issues, and sought to understand the maritime sector’s perception of different climate policies and their effectiveness in helping the sector reach decarbonization targets.

The responses were coded to allow comparisons. Arithmetic mean scores were calculated for each issue and used to rank them in terms of likelihood, impact, and preparedness. Leaders and experts were then asked to comment on and provide context for the findings between July 6 and August 27, 2021. The results were used to produce an impact vs. likelihood vs. preparedness chart and to provide the supplementary evidence used throughout the report. In the deep dive, only impact and likelihood were assessed. The results were used to produce an impact vs. likelihood chart.