Institutional spillovers and energy efficiency in maritime transport: Evidence from the EU MRV dataset

Improving energy efficiency in maritime transport is a key pillar of decarbonization policy. While existing studies often focus on individual vessels or aggregate trends, this paper introduces a spatial-institutional perspective to explore how regulatory and operational interdependencies among flag states influence ship-level efficiency. Using vessel-level data from the EU Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) system, it is applyed a Spatial Durbin Model (SDM) to assess whether improvements in technical efficiency diffuse across ports of registry. Results confirm significant institutional spillover effects: a vessel’s efficiency is positively influenced by the performance of ships registered under the same or administratively related flags. Fuel consumption and CO 2 emissions are negatively associated with efficiency, while time at sea shows a positive relationship. Counterfactual scenarios indicate that targeted fuel-reduction policies could trigger amplified efficiency gains through institutional multipliers. The findings suggest that registry governance, regulatory alignment, and cooperative mechanisms under frameworks like the EU ETS can enhance sector-wide decarbonization. This study contributes to the literature by introducing a spatial–institutional perspective on maritime energy efficiency, empirically quantifying registry-based spillover effects using vessel-level MRV data, and providing policy-relevant insights for coordinated decarbonization strategies within multilevel transport governance systems. • This study applies a Spatial Durbin Model (SDM) to the EU MRV dataset of container ships to quantify the spatial and institutional determinants of technical energy efficiency in maritime transport. • The research combines spatial econometrics with maritime institutional analysis, capturing both the operational behavior of vessels and the governance frameworks defined by their ports and flags of registry. • The results reveal a strong and statistically significant spatial dependence (ρ = 0.3829), indicating that the efficiency performance of a vessel is influenced by the average efficiency of other vessels registered under the same or similar institutional jurisdictions. • Fuel consumption and CO 2 emissions exert negative and significant effects on technical efficiency across maritime registries, highlighting the central role of operational and environmental factors in vessel performance. • The presence of a spatial multiplier of (1 − ρ) -1 = 1.62 demonstrates that improvements in efficiency within one registry generate positive spillovers to others, evidencing institutional diffusion effects in the maritime system. • These findings provide robust empirical support for the design of coordinated energy efficiency and decarbonization policies among ports and flag states, reinforcing the importance of multilevel maritime governance within frameworks such as the EU ETS and IMO targets.