News of the Australian parliament passing a historical bill on carbon taxation is fuelling the global debate on emissions trading, as the vote for carbon tax will effectively pave the way for the largest emissions trading scheme outside of Europe.

This latest development lends even more weight to the importance of measuring, monitoring and reporting carbon emissions correctly at a time when all emissions regulation is still in its infancy.

However, the need for insightful data should not be associated with the confusion caused by information overload. As stated recently by Shipper’s Voice and reported by Sustainable Shipping on September 15, “the mass of initiatives in this area is making it almost impossible to know what to do if you are a shipper.”

Stating that ‘increasing claims on ways to reduce emissions will ignite further confusion’ can all too easily be used as an excuse for apathy at a time when ship owners are unclear on impending regulations and need support from experts.

Carbon management is a grey area for the shipping industry and the mystery surrounding both global and regional regulatory developments undoubtedly adds to the confusion. But this lack of understanding serves to highlight the importance of getting ahead of regulation.

Crucially in this climate, the better that you manage emissions now, the greater competitive advantage you will have in the future.

It seems that shippers are increasingly recognising the benefits of proactively exploring and experimenting with the options, so that the best possible solutions are identified before regulation, which could force rushed decisions in the future.

Whether motivated by the significant commercial and operational benefits of reducing emissions or sheer curiosity, we are certainly seeing a surge in demand for clarification on emissions reduction.

In response to this demand and to empower ship owners to proactively put SEEMP into practice, we have developed the Carbon Positive Programme for ships, which covers technical, operational and offsetting measures.

This three-pronged approach will help support ship owners and operators to realise the commercial benefits from reducing fuel burn and CO2 in the near term.

Encompassing three main phases: measure, reduce and offset, the programme begins with a comprehensive diagnostic of each vessel, measuring, monitoring and recording its carbon emissions to generate a baseline for improvement.

Once this foundation is laid, our consultants identify the appropriate technical and operational measures to create a bespoke action plan, setting targets for CO2 reduction.  Upon reaching carbon neutrality at the ‘offset’ phase, we use our knowledge of carbon offsetting and policy developments to create an offsetting and carbon credits strategy.

With more regulation looming and fuel cost rising, empowering ship owners to take informed action with the support of experts is good news for the industry. Ultimately, the journey to sustainable shipping begins with understanding your own company’s impact on climate change and working with experts to develop an effective emissions reduction strategy for the long-term, starting now.