Over ten years have passed since the International Maritime Organization (IMO) first set international mandatory measures for improving ships' energy efficiency aimed at cutting down Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions.
The package of measures combined with implementation support set shipping on the path to decarbonization.
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A Decade of IMO GHG Guidelines for Ships
During this timeframe, the Sea Cargo Charter also joined in on the issue of controlling air pollution from ships by establishing a framework for aligning chartering activities with responsible environmental behavior.
How Does One Measure a Vessel’s CO2 Emissions?
Despite all the regulatory groundwork laid in recent years, and the 2023 GHG Strategy revision, there is still confusion in the industry as to how the CO2 emissions are calculated before they can be reduced.
Even with the mass adoption of low-sulfur fuels and scrubbers aboard vessels, shipping's footprint on CO2 is still high.
While owners and operators have the option to either lower their emissions or pay to offset their carbon footprint, it's essential to be able to calculate the cost before one can make a decision.
Here's where the big blank comes in the picture – which methodology would you use? There's the Energy Efficiency Operating Indicator (EEOI) using grams of CO2 per tonne-nautical mile, and the Annual Efficiency Ratio (AER) using grams of CO2 per deadweight-tonne-nautical mile.
Then there's the question of who actually is responsible for paying. All in all, it's still not entirely clear who and how is going to be affected.
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What Does the Future Hold?
In spring 2024, MEPC 81 presented an interim report evaluating the potential impacts of proposed mid-term measures. Namely, a goal-based marine fuel standard and an economic pricing mechanism for greenhouse gas emissions. These measures were designed to curb the carbon intensity of marine fuels while incentivizing greener operations across the shipping industry.
Later, during MEPC 82 in autumn 2024, the IMO finalized its comprehensive impact assessment. This report addressed the potential effects on various shipping sectors and global regions, with special attention to developing countries, ensuring that any future maritime emissions regulations would be both effective and fair.
As of early 2025, MEPC 83 has conducted a review of the short-term measures, specifically the Energy Efficiency Existing Ship Index (EEXI) and the Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII).
These existing frameworks have been reassessed to ensure alignment with the IMO’s 2030 and 2050 decarbonization checkpoints. The IMO is on track to complete this review by the set deadline of January 1, 2026.
Looking ahead, an extraordinary MEPC session is expected in late 2025, where the final decisions on the basket of mid-term measures will be adopted.
If all remains on schedule, these new regulations will come into force in 2027, marking a major step forward in the shipping industry’s path to net-zero emissions.
AXSMarine’s Co₂ Calculator
This is where we can help. As a pioneer in the provision of advanced solutions for shipping professionals, we’ve released a new complimentary addition to our portfolio - a calculator that can determine the CO2 effect of each vessel voyage to the environment.
Our CO2 calculator is a fully automated tool, which works both with the EEOI and the AER methodologies. It takes into account HSFO, VLSFO, and LSMGO carbon factors and provides an Alignment Delta to the EEOI trajectory values for its users.
While the CO2 emission calculations are fully automated and do not change the workflow of its users, our new tool also has the option to estimate specific CO2 costs of every voyage, depending on the region of operation.
The Right Tool at the Right Time
While the confusion sewn by unclear regulations can only be dispersed by the regulatory bodies themselves, we aim to remedy the situation by releasing the instruments the industry needs to monitor its carbon footprint on the environment.
Our new CO2 calculator will help the Dry Bulk industry stay compliant with environmental regulations. It's just the latest in a number of steps we've taken to make sure that, as professionals in the industry, you can monitor the fleets' impacts on the environment.
Aside from the full automation of our calculator, which will provide new info without impacting your workflow, it is also fully integrated in our ecosystem of products. This transforms the need to follow one's vessels' CO2 emissions into looking at just one more number on the screen.
