Mapping hidden emissions in shipping supply chains

Firms need to document their Scope 3 emissions. It’s especially true in Europe where the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) mandates reporting.

Unfortunately in the US the government is walking back any disclosure regulations for greenhouse gas emissions. But many companies operate multinationally, and procurement procedures are so complex that it becomes very difficult to know what suppliers are actually doing about greenhouse gas and other emissions.

That’s why ways to collect and validate the required supplier data, as well as your own, are important. A well-designed system can make the task remarkably easier.

Enter Danish climate specialist ReFlow and Procureship, an e-procurement platform supplier. Their partnership has created as system called EmissionPassport, a structured way to collect product-level Scope 3 emissions data from suppliers as well as your own vessel-level activities. The makers say that the climate data is not used to make procurement decisions in the system, but does insure that the measurable climate impact numbers are available for reporting.

The system supports alignment with the International Marine Purchasing Association (IMPA) and its Maritime Environmental Footprint (IMEF) Initiative, which provides a shared climate data standard for maritime procurement.

See this Price Waterhouse Report for more information about the CSRD.

Sam Chambers September 4, 2025

https://splash247.com/emissionpassport-launched-to-map-hidden-emissions-in-shipping-supply-chains/

Federal Maritime Commission investigating Flags of Convenience

It’s about time for some agency to look at flags of convenience. Some states are abetting sanctioned trade, and quite a few do not have the means or intent to enforce regulations for safety, environmental, and labor standards. It’s increasing risk for marine traffic and for mariners.

The US Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) may not be the best positioned for this investigation right now. The US government has shown that it may use its powers to punish views of other nations, rather than in the interest of collaboration on mutual goals. And the US has withdrawn from some international agencies and agreements, showing a lack of collaboration. Recently the US State Department has threatened the International Maritime Organization (IMO) over its push to impose greenhouse gas emission controls and standards on international shipping.

These actions reduce the effect of any unilateral action by the US. It’s likely they will be ignored. That is something the current US administration will not like, but it’s inevitable.

Let’s hope the FMC figures out real actions that will help flag states increase compliance with international shipping standards.

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Barry Parker, New York Correspondent

September 3, 2025

https://www.seatrade-maritime.com/regulations/federal-maritime-commission-investigating-flags-of-convenience

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Nick Savvides, Europe correspondent

September 4, 2025

https://www.seatrade-maritime.com/regulations/imo-member-states-tire-of-us-threats-over-climate-rules

LNG bunker supply chain emissions

It’s difficult to quantify the emissions load generated by LNG bunkering for oceangoing ships. Rystad Energy has released a study of this from Well to Tank.

Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) is currently an important maritime fuel as the industry tries to transition to a lower carbon footprint. LNG-fuelled ships now account for over 20% of the current order book.

The question is this: how does LNG perform in terms of greenhouse emissions? One needs to consider how it’s produced (Well!), transported, liquefied, stored, and processed for bunkering, as well as the loading process. That’s the study’s focus.

They found 13.9 grams of carbon dioxide equivalent per megajoule heating value, known as LHV. This broke down into 4.2 gCO23/MJ, for upsteam; 1.3 for transportation and processing; 5.9 for liquefaction; 1.8 for shipping and distribution; and 0.7 for bunkering operations.

The total of 13.9 compares with the FuelEU Maritime figure of 18.5 gCO2e/MJ, which Rystad says is too high.

A key quote from the article:

Rystad’s Vice President Emissions Research, Patrick King, commented: “Our analysis is based on asset-level data that ties specific gas fields to liquefaction facilities. This approach, supported by satellite-detected methane plume data and reported asset information, gives a more accurate picture of the LNG actually used for bunkering, rather than relying on outdated or overly broad averages.”

It seems like the right way to do the analysis.

The study is available from Rystad Energy or asoffered by Rystad

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Paul Bartlett, Correspondent

September 4, 2025

https://www.seatrade-maritime.com/lng/rystad-releases-findings-on-lng-bunker-supply-chain-emissions