Research on green shipping investment strategies of shipping enterprises based on differences in perceptions of environmental responsibility

To promote the green transformation of the shipping industry and improve environmental responsibility awareness among shipping enterprises, this paper presents a game model with two enterprises that differ in their awareness of environmental responsibility. The model uses non-cooperative game theory to study how environmental responsibility awareness affects investment in green shipping and the economic utility of enterprises during market competition. The results of the study show that the optimal level of investment in green shipping is determined solely by the cost-benefit analysis of the investment itself, rather than by the investment levels of other companies or the market environment. When there is a large gap in environmental responsibility awareness among shipping companies or when indirect cargo profit and loss is too low, enterprises' willingness to transform to green shipping will weaken during competition, as enterprises that take the initiative to transform to green shipping will lose their competitive advantage due to excessive encroachment on productive resources and reduced economic efficiency. Furthermore, to ensure that the overall utility of the shipping market improves with the depth of green transformation, it is necessary to control the cost of green investment, improve the return on investment of green shipping and reduce the pressure on enterprises to transform to green shipping. Based on the analysis results, it is recommended that the government promulgates policies and regulations to unify green shipping standards, encourage technological innovation in shipping and promote industry synergy and technology sharing, in order to achieve continuous green transformation.