Charterers continue to lag behind IMO green goals

CHARTERERS continue to fall short of green targets, but their climate reporting is better and more transparent, according to the Sea Cargo Charter.

The SCC’s second annual disclosure report found signatories were on average 12% behind the minimum goals set by the International Maritime Organization in 2023 and 18% behind its higher “striving for” targets.

But 19 of 34 signatories reduced their emissions intensity (measured by well-to-wake Energy Efficiency Operating Indicator), eight improved their climate alignment scores and several reported better integration of emissions metrics into operational and chartering decisions.

SCC vice-chair Engebret Dahm told Lloyd’s List the majority of signatories had shown improvement.

“It’s a good result and I think we have achieved a lot as an initiative,” he said.

“And I think it’s very promising for what we shall deliver over the coming years.”

The SCC has charterers count and report the emissions from their activities, to gather data to help the industry decarbonise. Its 34 member charterers and shipowners represent about 18% of global wet and dry bulk cargo carried by sea in 2024.

Barriers to better climate alignment included regional port limits, such as draft restrictions, bad weather, inefficient routing and reliance on short charters.

But signatories had made strides in data quality and transparency, with over 90% of the 2024 data verified by third parties, up from 50% the year before.

Dahm said the benefit of the voluntary scheme for now was in more widespread emissions reporting. Signatories were trialling technologies such as wind power and air lubrication, but bigger changes such as future fuels depended on IMO regulation, he said.

“The fact [is] that the signatories in the initiative are recording each and every voyage, are getting to know the data that can permit them to do what we call data-based improvements,” Dahm said.

“It is all the work behind it which is the really important [thing].”