Human Impacts of the Maritime Green Transition: Quantifying Workload, Cognitive Burden, and Safety Risks

Maritime decarbonisation accelerates through a combination of the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) 2023 GHG Strategy, amendments to MARPOL Annex VI, and regional regulatory drivers including the EU Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) Regulation and FuelEU Maritime. While these frameworks focus on emissions reduction and technological compliance, their human-element implications are not systematically assessed within current regulatory development. This paper assesses the operational and psychological workload consequences of the green transition for seafarers. It draws on MARPOL Annex VI documentation, relevant IMO circulars, ILO labour provisions, published workload/fatigue studies, and incident evidence. The analysis identifies significant increases in administrative burden, cognitive complexity, and procedural tasks stemming from fuel changeovers, emissions monitoring, data reporting, and power-limitation systems. Findings highlight a gap between regulatory ambition and human capacity, with emerging patterns of eco-fatigue, reduced situational awareness, and latent safety risks. The paper proposes a risk-based human-element integration model centred on realistic manning standards, competence reform, simulator-based training, and human-centred system design. The argument advanced is that a just, safe, and effective green transition cannot be achieved by technology and regulation alone; it requires structural support for the resilience, wellbeing, and authority of the seafarers whose labour sustains maritime operations.