CTI-Maritec: ISCC certification for sustainable marine fuel management

Marine environmental services and fuel testing solutions company CTI-Maritec on Friday (17 January) shared all about the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) system, key aspects of the certification system which align with latest regulatory requirements and how it can help achieve sustainable marine fuel management: 

What is ISCC Certification?

International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) is a globally applicable sustainability certification system, which covers all sustainable feedstocks, including agricultural and forestry biomass, bio-based and circular materials and renewables.

Certification under the ISCC standard assures a fully transparent and deforestation-free supply chain, protection of land with high biodiversity value and high carbon stock. The ISCC standard complies with human, labor and land rights, as well as good management practices.

ISCC offers several sustainability schemes for energy, such as ISCC EU and ISCC Plus. ISCC EU is recognized by the EU Commission to validate sustainability criteria in fuel. The scheme’s extensive measures will check-off the end-to-end needs in maintaining credible sustainability practices along its supply chain. With the ISCC EU recognized under the EU’s revised Renewable Energy Directive (“RED II”) as well as other major energy markets, ISCC EU certification is set to play a major role under the upcoming FuelEU Maritime regulation, among others, and beyond.

Why choose ISCC Certification to help achieve Maritime sustainability goals?

The approach of ISCC schemes encapsulates critical aspects, which work in tandem with the EU and IMO regulatory stipulations and associated documentary requirements such as:

• Lifecycle Assessment: Examines emissions at production, use, and end.
• Proof of Sustainability (PoS) Documents: Provides supporting documentation to validate that Biofuels batches are traceable to their sustainable feedstocks.
• Annual Audits: Includes annual audits to ensure compliance with sustainability standards.

Keep in Mind!

The FuelEU Maritime Regulation, effective 01 January 2025, for all ships trading within the EU or European Economic Area (EEA), will have to employ sustainable fuel to avoid penalty.

Sustainable fuel used by vessels must be sourced and procured from an entirely certified supply chain.

Sustainable Marine Fuels with ISCC covered under the ISCC EU and ISCC EU PLUS Schemes

Sustainable marine fuels covered under ISCC EU & ISCC PLUS Certification include:

• Biofuels (such as FAME, bio-methanol and other liquid fuels for the transport sector produced from bio-based feedstocks)
• Renewable Fuels of Non-Biological Origin (RFNBO)
• Recycled Carbon Fuels (RCF)

Keep in Mind!

The 2023 IMO GHG Strategy envisages a reduction in carbon intensity of international shipping (to reduce CO2 emissions per transport work), as an average across international shipping, by at least 40% by 2030. The 2023 IMO GHG Strategy also includes a new level of ambition related to the uptake of zero or near-zero GHG emission technologies, fuels and/or energy sources which are to represent at least 5%, striving for 10% of the energy used by international shipping by 2030.

Sustainable fuel with lower emissions in favour of Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) measures also requires similar sustainability certification, and ISCC EU PoS is a recognized document.

Related: CTI-Maritec: FuelEU Maritime regulation effective 1 January 2025

Photo credit: Hans Reniers on Unsplash
Published: 20 January, 2025