Marine & Shipping TIC Market Size and Share
Market Overview
| Study Period | 2019 - 2030 |
|---|---|
| Market Size (2025) | USD 2.08 Billion |
| Market Size (2030) | USD 2.44 Billion |
| Growth Rate (2025 - 2030) | 3.21% CAGR |
| Fastest Growing Market | Asia Pacific |
| Largest Market | Asia Pacific |
| Market Concentration | Medium |
Major Players
*Disclaimer: Major Players sorted in no particular order Image © Mordor Intelligence. Reuse requires attribution under CC BY 4.0. |
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Marine & Shipping TIC Market Analysis by Mordor Intelligence
The marine and shipping testing, inspection, and certification market size reached USD 2.08 billion in 2025 and is forecast to post USD 2.44 billion by 2030, reflecting a 3.21% CAGR. Heightened decarbonization rules, surging alternative-fuel pilots, and the shift to always-on digital inspections are expanding revenue pools even as fee structures stay tightly regulated. Major classification societies are scaling cloud platforms that fuse structural, environmental, and cyber checks, shrinking inspection cycle time, and unlocking new subscription models. Remote-enabled surveys, once an emergency measure, are now embedded in standard operating procedures and are widening access for smaller owners who formerly struggled with travel costs. The marine and shipping testing, inspection, and certification market is also benefiting from sovereign green-financing programs that link loan covenants to verified ESG compliance, adding recurring audit demand in North America and Europe. Competitive intensity is rising as technology vendors position AI vision, blockchain credentialing, and AR guidance modules as plug-ins for society backbones, while mid-tier players carve niches in offshore renewables and cyber-class audits.
Key Report Takeaways
- By service type, Inspection Services held 56.1% of the marine and shipping testing, inspection, and certification market share in 2024, whereas certification services are projected to expand at a 3.8% CAGR through 2030, the fastest among service lines.
- By sourcing type, in-house programs retained a 54.2% share of the marine and shipping testing, inspection, and certification market size in 2024, whereas outsourced engagements are forecast to rise at a 3.4% CAGR to 2030.
- By geography, Asia-Pacific commanded 41.8% revenue in 2024 and is set to grow at a 4.1% CAGR, the strongest regional trajectory.
Global Marine & Shipping TIC Market Trends and Insights
Drivers Impact Analysis
| Driver | (~) % Impact on CAGR Forecast | Geographic Relevance | Impact Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stricter IMO decarbonization mandates | +1.2% | Global, with early implementation in the EU and the Asia-Pacific | Medium term (2-4 years) |
| Alternative-fuel adoption driving new test regimes | +0.9% | Global, concentrated in major shipping hubs | Medium term (2-4 years) |
| Digital-first and remote-survey models scaling | +0.7% | Global, with advanced adoption in North America and Europe | Short term (≤ 2 years) |
| Resurgent global seaborne trade and newbuild orders | +0.6% | Asia-Pacific core, spill-over to Europe and the Americas | Short term (≤ 2 years) |
| Cyber-class notation demand for autonomous vessels | +0.4% | North America and the EU leading, Asia-Pacific following | Long term (≥ 4 years) |
| ESG-linked finance embedding verification audits | +0.3% | Global, with emphasis on Europe and North America | Medium term (2-4 years) |
| Source: Mordor Intelligence | |||
Stricter IMO Decarbonization Mandates
The 2025 revision of the IMO greenhouse-gas strategy has inserted fuel-to-wake verification into every annual survey cycle, multiplying demand for end-to-end emissions measurement. Classification societies now pair hull checks with real-time carbon-tracking dashboards so that crews can document Energy Efficiency Existing Ship Index and Carbon Intensity Indicator compliance on voyages that span multiple Emission Control Areas. Mediterranean, Canadian Arctic, and Norwegian Sea zones coming online between 2025 and 2027 require documented exhaust-gas scrubber effectiveness, prompting a surge in lab testing of washwater discharges. Integrated digital toolkits trim paperwork and cut port-state detention risk, enhancing the commercial value proposition of certified fleets.[1]Steamship Mutual, “IMO New Emissions Control Areas,” steamshipmutual.com
Alternative-Fuel Adoption Driving New Test Regimes
Rapid prototyping of ammonia, hydrogen, and methanol systems is spawning novel risk scenarios that legacy checklists cannot address. Bureau Veritas’s NR206 and DNV’s alternative-fuel rules now mandate cryogenic tank integrity trials, crew competency assessments, and port bunker interface tests before flag administrations approve maiden voyages. Dedicated labs in Singapore and Hamburg are stress-testing materials against hydrogen embrittlement and ammonia corrosion, producing data that feed into rule amendments in near real time. Owners seeking a first-mover advantage accept a higher initial certification spend in exchange for lower life-cycle emissions penalties and premium charter rates.[2]Bureau Veritas, “NR206 Wind Propulsion Systems,” marine-offshore.bureauveritas.com
Digital-First and Remote-Survey Models Scaling
Drone fly-bys, AI-driven weld crack detection, and augmented-reality headsets allow surveyors to examine high-risk zones without boarding, cutting inspection windows from days to hours. Lloyd’s Register’s integration with OneOcean funnels voyage data, defect imagery, and e-certificates into a single audit trail accepted by most flag states. Although not all administrations have finalized e-inspection standards, societies are issuing dual digital-paper reports to bridge policy gaps. For small owners, per-vessel survey costs fall 20-30%, unlocking compliance budgets previously deferred due to thin margins.
Resurgent Global Seaborne Trade and Newbuild Orders
Container demand recovery and offshore wind deployment have reignited ordering at Asian yards, with China alone booking 70% of global contracts in 2024. Each new hull triggers dozens of plan approvals, material certifications, and stage-gate surveys, guaranteeing multi-year fee streams for societies. LNG carriers, 24,000 TEU megabox ships, and service operation vessels integrate high-pressure fuel and energy-storage modules that extend approval timelines but raise billable complexity. Consequently, the marine and shipping testing, inspection, and certification market records a steady pipeline insulated from short-term freight rate volatility.
Restraints Impact Analysis
| Restraint | (~) % Impact on CAGR Forecast | Geographic Relevance | Impact Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| High compliance costs for small shipowners | -0.8% | Global, particularly affecting developing maritime economies | Short term (≤ 2 years) |
| Fragmented national regulations and duplicate audits | -0.6% | Global, with acute challenges in multi-flag operations | Medium term (2-4 years) |
| Surveyor skill gap for alternative-fuel vessels | -0.4% | Global, concentrated in regions with limited technical infrastructure | Long term (≥ 4 years) |
| Data-sovereignty limits on cross-border e-inspections | -0.3% | Primarily affecting Asia-Pacific and Europe's cross-border operations | Medium term (2-4 years) |
| Source: Mordor Intelligence | |||
High Compliance Costs for Small Shipowners
Aging fleets sailing short-sea routes must still meet 2025 emissions and ballast-water standards, yet retrofits may exceed asset value. Required dry-dock inspections, ultrasonic thickness measurements, and subsequent sign-offs can top USD 150 000 per vessel, pushing some operators toward accelerated scrapping. Societies offer modular audit packages and remote support, but statutory minimums limit cost elasticity. Without pooled purchasing alliances or green-finance subsidies, small carriers risk regulatory attrition.
Fragmented National Regulations and Duplicate Audits
Flag-state divergence on autonomous navigation, cyber-class, and alternative-fuel safeguards forces owners of multi-flag fleets to undergo parallel audits, adding administrative drag. A vessel certified for EU FuelEU Maritime rules may still need supplementary checks to satisfy U.S. Coast Guard or Chinese MSA protocols. Classification societies try to harmonize through dual-notation pathways, yet misalignments persist, delaying deployment of global innovations and dampening the CAGR uplift otherwise driven by technology convergence.
Segment Analysis
By Service Type: Inspection Services Lead Through Digital Innovation
Inspection Services accounted for 56.1% of the marine and shipping testing, inspection, and certification market share in 2024, as every vessel requires annual, intermediate, and special surveys throughout its 25-year economic life. Drone hull reconnaissance and AI-based crack sizing have reduced average dry-dock stay by two days, lowering charter-off-hire exposure. The marine and shipping testing, inspection, and certification market size for Inspection Services is projected to rise in line with larger average vessel dimensions, which amplify the number of structural hot-spots requiring close-up evaluations. Societies are bundling hull, machinery, and carbon-footprint checks into single visits, leveraging sensor data to pre-populate reports.
Digital inspection dashboards let superintendents schedule follow-up tasks automatically, and predictive analytics flag anomalies that may trigger unscheduled downtime. Pilot programs on offshore wind service vessels indicate 15% fewer late-survey penalties after adopting real-time compliance tools. The competitive battleground is shifting from geographic reach to software ecosystem depth, with early adopters poised to capture cross-selling into testing and certification lines.
Note: Segment shares of all individual segments available upon report purchase
By Sourcing Type: Outsourcing Gains Momentum Through Specialization
In-house technical departments retained 54.2% of the marine and shipping testing, inspection, and certification market size in 2024 because major liners still employ survey planning teams to coordinate statutory and class work. Longstanding relationships with societies ensure rapid mobilization during unplanned incidents. Yet emerging propulsion technologies and cyber-class mandates require expertise that many in-house engineers lack. Owners increasingly outsource prototype validation, remote-survey execution, and ESG audits to societies or tech specialists.
Outsourced engagements are forecast to grow at a 3.4% CAGR as software-defined surveys commoditize basic visual checks and free internal staff for fleet-wide optimization. Small and medium carriers, facing capacity limits, turn to managed-service contracts covering ballast-water, emissions, and cyber hygiene under a single subscription. The trend dovetails with the marine and shipping testing, inspection, and certification market pivot toward platform-based delivery, where societies monetize data analytics layers rather than one-off attendance fees.
Geography Analysis
Asia-Pacific dominated revenue with a 41.8% share in 2024, and its 4.1% CAGR outpaces every other region. The region’s design-and-build leadership means that classification surveyors are embedded from steel cutting through sea trials on 70% of the global orderbook. Singapore’s Maritime Digital Hub provides testbeds for AI routing and remote survey pilot programs, accelerating regional adoption rates. Japanese and Korean yards specialize in LNG and offshore wind service vessels, commanding premium certificate fees due to complex dual-fuel and dynamic-positioning systems.
Europe ranks second as strict ESG laws and expansive offshore-wind pipelines, sustaining continuous audit demand. The EU FuelEU Maritime regulation mandates well-to-wake carbon tracking, generating new verification demand.[3]NorthStandard, “2025 – Incoming Regulations,” north-standard.com Norway’s roll-out of ammonia-ready ferries is expanding alternative-fuel test work for classification societies. Societies maintain innovation campuses in Copenhagen, Hamburg, and Marseille to serve these projects and to align with European sustainable-finance disclosure requirements.
North America is experiencing a renaissance driven by the U.S. Maritime Administration’s Center for Maritime Innovation initiative. Pilot hydrogen ferry projects on the U.S. West Coast and Arctic shipping corridor expansions in Canada require bespoke safety cases, drawing in specialist survey teams. Meanwhile, the Middle East and Africa remain emerging markets; the United Arab Emirates’ Tasneef and partner RINA are developing regional competence in LNG bunker vessel classification, positioning the Gulf as a future certification hub for energy transition vessels.
Competitive Landscape
The marine and shipping testing, inspection, and certification market is moderately concentrated: the twelve IACS members collectively cover a significant share of global cargo-carrying tonnage, yet hundreds of regional labs and software vendors compete in niche verticals. Lloyd’s Register’s 2025 purchase of OneOcean exemplifies a pivot toward data-rich ecosystems, giving society a real-time voyage-planning engine that feeds into class decision loops.[4]Riviera Maritime Media, “Floating offshore wind in focus at DNV and LR,” rivieramm.com Bureau Veritas and SGS are in merger talks that, if finalized, would create a diversified powerhouse straddling marine, industrial, and consumer testing, inspection, and certification domains.
DNV is investing in ammonia and hydrogen fuel labs, ABS is spearheading autonomous vessel cyber standards, and RINA has become a reference body for floating offshore wind platforms. Smaller societies are differentiating on responsiveness and localized expertise, especially for domestic cabotage fleets in Asia and Latin America. Technology vendors such as blockchain certificate providers and AI vision startups are courting societies through white-label agreements, reshaping traditional revenue splits. Early movers that integrate digital twins, predictive analytics, and secure credentialing are capturing multiyear framework contracts with global liners and energy majors.
Marine & Shipping TIC Industry Leaders
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SGS SA
-
Bureau Veritas SA
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Intertek Group plc
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TÜV SÜD AG
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TÜV Rheinland AG
- *Disclaimer: Major Players sorted in no particular order
Recent Industry Developments
- April 2025: Bureau Veritas issued final prototype certification for Saitec Offshore Technologies’ DemoSATH floating wind platform, confirming conformance with BV NR 572.
- April 2025: ABS approved FEED documents for ECO TLP and MOCEAN-Offshore’s deep-water floating wind concept, authorizing project testing.
- March 2025: Bureau Veritas updated Rule Note NR206 to cover next-generation wind-propulsion systems.
- January 2025: DNV released new offshore wind turbine guidelines, broadening certification of floating platforms.
Global Marine & Shipping TIC Market Report Scope
| Testing Services |
| Inspection Services |
| Certification Services |
| In-house |
| Outsourced |
| North America | United States | |
| Canada | ||
| Mexico | ||
| South America | Brazil | |
| Argentina | ||
| Rest of South America | ||
| Europe | Germany | |
| United Kingdom | ||
| France | ||
| Italy | ||
| Spain | ||
| Russia | ||
| Rest of Europe | ||
| Asia-Pacific | China | |
| Japan | ||
| India | ||
| South Korea | ||
| South-East Asia | ||
| Rest of Asia-Pacific | ||
| Middle East and Africa | Middle East | Saudi Arabia |
| United Arab Emirates | ||
| Turkey | ||
| Rest of Middle East | ||
| Africa | South Africa | |
| Nigeria | ||
| Rest of Africa | ||
| By Service Type | Testing Services | ||
| Inspection Services | |||
| Certification Services | |||
| By Sourcing Type | In-house | ||
| Outsourced | |||
| By Geography | North America | United States | |
| Canada | |||
| Mexico | |||
| South America | Brazil | ||
| Argentina | |||
| Rest of South America | |||
| Europe | Germany | ||
| United Kingdom | |||
| France | |||
| Italy | |||
| Spain | |||
| Russia | |||
| Rest of Europe | |||
| Asia-Pacific | China | ||
| Japan | |||
| India | |||
| South Korea | |||
| South-East Asia | |||
| Rest of Asia-Pacific | |||
| Middle East and Africa | Middle East | Saudi Arabia | |
| United Arab Emirates | |||
| Turkey | |||
| Rest of Middle East | |||
| Africa | South Africa | ||
| Nigeria | |||
| Rest of Africa | |||
Key Questions Answered in the Report
How large is the marine and shipping testing, inspection, and certification market in 2025?
It stands at USD 2.08 billion, with a 3.21% CAGR forecast to 2030.
Which region is growing fastest in marine and shipping testing, inspection, and certification?
Asia-Pacific leads with a 4.1% CAGR through 2030 due to dominant shipbuilding capacity and digital-hub initiatives.
What service line holds the largest marine and shipping testing, inspection, and certification market share?
Inspection Services leads with a 56.1% share in 2024.
Why are alternative fuels boosting testing, inspection, and certification demand?
Ammonia, hydrogen, and methanol systems require new safety tests, storage checks, and crew certifications, expanding certification workloads.
How are remote surveys changing inspection economics?
Drone and AI assessments reduce surveyor travel, cutting per-vessel costs 20-30% while increasing data accuracy.
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