Sustainable finance
Poseidon Principles
Definition
The Poseidon Principles are a global framework, launched in 2019, through which signatory financial institutions assess and disclose the climate alignment of their ship finance portfolios against decarbonisation trajectories set by the International Maritime Organization. Built on four principles — assessment, accountability, enforcement and transparency — they require annual portfolio alignment reporting using IMO data.
References
Supports definition and framing.
Overview
How it is used
Major shipping banks are signatories; annual association reports publish collective alignment scores. A sister framework, the Poseidon Principles for Marine Insurance, applies the same logic to insurers, and the Sea Cargo Charter to charterers.
Why it matters
The Poseidon Principles are the leading example of sector-specific climate alignment frameworks in finance — a template for embedding transition accountability in asset-class lending.