Connect with us

Port & Regulatory

DNV: EU defines offshore ships for EU MRV reporting

From 1 January 2025, offshore ships above 400 GT are required to report GHG emissions data under the EU MRV regulation.

Admin

Published

8 months ago

on

OSV MT

Classification society DNV, an accredited verifier for the EU MRV verification services since 2018, on Friday (8 November) issued guidance for offshore vessels under the EU MRV scheme:

Offshore ships above 400 GT are required to start reporting GHG emissions from 1 January 2025.

The adopted Delegated Regulation (to be published by the end of 2024) amends the EU MRV Regulation 2015/757 stating that the following ships designed or certified to perform service activities offshore or at offshore installations should be considered offshore ships:

Ship types

ship types

The ship’s statutory certifications or any other relevant documentation, including class notations, should be taken into consideration to determine whether the ship falls under the definition of an offshore ship or not.

DNV does not consider platforms and rigs, such as jack-ups and semi-submersible platforms, to fall under any of the ship types listed. Therefore, for such objects there is no need to prepare an MRV Monitoring Plan and start reporting. However, more guidance may be issued later specifying this list further.

Company responsible for the EU MRV Monitoring Plan

According to the MRV regulations, the registered owner is the company responsible, unless it has explicitly mandated the ISM company.

The company responsible should submit the Monitoring Plan to an accredited verifier for assessment and then to the company’s administering authority as soon as possible in time for the reporting period starting 1 January 2025.

EU ETS from 1 January 2027 (>5,000 GT)

Note that offshore ships of 5,000 GT and above will fall under the scope of the EU ETS from 1 January 2027, while ships of 400 GT and up to 5,000 GT will be reviewed by 31 December 2026 for inclusion at a later stage.

A company that is only responsible for offshore vessels (and not responsible for other ship types) does not need to open a Maritime Operator Holding Account, as the EU ETS does not apply to these ships before 2027.

Voyage-based reporting in the EU MRV

The inclusion of offshore ships in the EU MRV scheme from 2025 implies that each port of call and voyage must be monitored and reported. Reporting in regular intervals (such as every day at noon or at midnight) should be supplemented by reports documenting the start and end of a port call. In addition, emissions resulting from ship movements within a port of call should be monitored and reported. Relevant resources for reporting:

Port definition

The European Commission is expected to publish guidance related to stops at offshore facilities. Apart from port facilities ashore, which should naturally also be considered as a port in the context of the EU MRV Regulation, the following should be considered as a port:

  • An offshore facility (such as an FPSO, FSRU) with an assigned UN/LOCODE
  • An offshore facility located outside of the port but permanently connected to a port (such as loading buoys)

If an offshore ship stops at such a facility to load or unload cargo, embark or disembark passengers, or relieve crew, it will be considered a port of call under the EU MRV Regulation. Relevant resources:

Definition of “port of call”

An MRV voyage is defined as being from one port of call to another port of call, and any activities carried out in between are considered part of the voyage.

For an offshore ship, if at least one of the following conditions are met, a stop in a port is considered a port of call:

  • A port where the ship stops to load or unload cargo or to embark or disembark passengers
  • A port where the ship stops to relieve the crew

In addition, ship-to-ship transfer within port limits is considered a port of call in the EU MRV Regulation. In the voyage scenario below, the MRV voyage A starts when ship’s crew embarks the vessel in a member state port. The vessel proceeds to a service area (e.g. offshore installation, project site, research area) to perform service activity and later returns to a member state port to relieve the crew. The MRV voyage covers the time from departure from port, the transit to service area, the service activity and the transit back to port until arrival in port.

tecreg27 2024 770

Reporting of cargo carried

As per the Implementing Regulation (EU) 2016/1928, for ship types not falling under any of the defined categories of the regulation, cargo carried is determined as mass of cargo on board or as deadweight carried for laden voyages and zero for ballast voyages. Offshore ships should comply with this requirement and additionally monitor the number of passengers and crew members to determine the port-of-call status. Pending further guidance from the European Commission, we recommend that all personnel on board is reported as either passengers or crew members. Relevant monitoring procedures should be reflected in the ship’s MRV Monitoring Plan.

Guidance documents

The European Commission is expected to publish guidance materials specific to the topic of offshore ships’ inclusion in MRV/ETS. Until it is in place, the guidance for shipping companies, “The EU ETS and MRV Maritime – General guidance for shipping companies (Guidance Document No. 1)” covers applicable topics. Since the document is expected to be updated in the coming months, please refer to the European Commission’s dedicated website where the most current guidance documents can be found, see below under Resources.

Recommendations

Shipping companies responsible for any ship type defined in this news should prepare an MRV Monitoring Plan and start collecting MRV data from 1 January 2025.

Companies should review their data monitoring procedures and adjust these to the MRV per-voyage reporting requirements: set up a Thetis-MRV account and request attribution to an administering authority (as per Chapter 2.4 of the Guidance Document No. 1).

 

Source: DNV
Photo credits: Manifold Times, DNV
Published: 13 November 2024

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Milestone

China: Chimbusco and BJEC enter green methanol cooperation agreement

Document was signed between Ding Lihai, deputy general manager of Chimbusco, and Li Jianjun, deputy general manager of BJEC.
Admin

Published

3 hours ago

on

July 8, 2025

By

Chimbusco x BJEC MT

China Marine Bunker (PetroChina) Co.,Ltd. (Chimbusco) and POWERCHINA Beijing Engineering Corporation Limited (BJEC) on Thursday (3 July) formally entered into a green methanol strategic cooperation framework agreement.

The document was signed between Ding Lihai, deputy general manager of Chimbusco, and Li Jianjun, deputy general manager of BJEC.

BJEC, a subsidiary of China Power Engineering Group, is experienced in the survey, design, construction and technology research and development of large-scale renewable energy projects.

Moving forward, the two parties said they will respectively focus on their core advantages and work together to promote the production, supply, storage and refuelling of green methanol as an energy source to help support the low-carbon transformation of the shipping industry.

Ding Lihai said: “The shipping industry is one of the important sources of global carbon emissions. Promoting low-carbon fuel is the key to the transformation of the industry. As the main force in the supply of bunker fuel, Chimbusco has been committed to expanding its clean fuel supply capacity. The cooperation with BJEC will integrate the advantages of green energy development and fuel supply, accelerate the large-scale application of green methanol, and meet the needs of shipping companies for clean fuel. We look forward to providing effective solutions for the green transformation of the shipping industry through the joint efforts of both parties.”

Li Jianjun said: “Implementing the ‘dual carbon’ goal is an important responsibility of enterprises. BJEC has accumulated strong technical strength in the field of green energy. This cooperation with Chimbusco will focus on the entire industrial chain of green methanol, from raw materials, production to supply, to provide clean and sustainable fuel solutions for the shipping industry. The complementary advantages of both parties will promote the rapid development of the green methanol industry and inject strong impetus into the low-carbon transformation of the shipping industry.”

 

Photo credit: China Marine Bunker (PetroChina) Co.,Ltd.
Published: 8 July 2025

Continue Reading

Milestone

Towngas and Royal Vopak collaborate to expand green methanol supply chain network

‘Towngas has recently completed a 6,000-tonne green methanol bunkering project, the largest in Asia,” said its Chief Operating Officer – Green Fuel and Chemicals.
Admin

Published

3 hours ago

on

July 8, 2025

By

Towngas x Royal Vopak MT

Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited (Towngas) and Vopak China Management Co., Ltd. (Royal Vopak) on Tuesday (8 July) said both recently signed a strategic framework cooperation agreement to collaborate in areas such as green methanol production, storage, bunkering, and trading etc.

Focusing on the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, and Asia-Pacific markets, both parties are joining forces to expand an efficient green methanol supply chain network and support the shipping industry’s low-carbon transition.

The two parties will capitalise on their respective strengths to expand the supply network of green methanol.

Towngas employs proprietary technology to convert agricultural and forestry waste as well as scrap tyres into green methanol, and has obtained multiple international certifications and provides a sufficient supply of green methanol for maritime fuel bunkering.

Royal Vopak provides green methanol storage and terminal services with its comprehensive storage and terminal infrastructure and coastal port network advantages.

Together, the two parties will achieve efficient resource allocation and ship green methanol to the Greater Bay Area, East China, South China, and the broader Asia-Pacific markets, further expanding the green methanol supply chain network.

Towngas and Royal Vopak will further develop multiple areas of regional cooperation, including in the Greater Bay Area. By leveraging the strengths of the ports in Hong Kong, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou, the partnership will focus on “production and storage synergy” as its core to strengthen cooperation around logistics and terminal facility construction, and to build an integrated green methanol storage and transportation network.

In East China, the two parties will centre their collaboration in Shanghai and Ningbo, two major international ports, to further strengthen cooperation in logistics storage and bunkering facility construction to meet the growing demand for green fuels at both ports.

In the Bohai Bay region, with Tianjin as the strategic hub, Towngas will transport green methanol produced at its northern China production base to Royal Vopak’s local storage tank farm, then achieve resource allocation through the Royal Vopak’s distribution network, supporting the supply of green methanol from northern China to the national and Asia-Pacific markets.

The two parties will also target key export markets, such as Singapore, Vietnam, Japan, and South Korea, to accelerate overseas expansion and boost the market competitiveness of clean energy in the Asia-Pacific region.

“Towngas has recently completed a 6,000-tonne green methanol bunkering project, the largest in Asia,” said Sham Man-fai, Towngas Chief Operating Officer – Green Fuel and Chemicals.

“It was completed with the support of Royal Vopak’s Tianjin storage tank farm facilities, laying a solid foundation for this partnership.

“Towngas’s Inner Mongolia green methanol plant is set to increase its annual capacity from 100,000 tonnes to 150,000 tonnes by the end of this year, with plans to further expand to 300,000 tonnes by 2028. Together with Royal Vopak’s storage and terminal services infrastructure and coastal port network, the two parties will build a comprehensive green methanol supply chain network.”

 

Photo credit: Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited
Published: 8 July 2025

Continue Reading

Port & Regulatory

China sees rapid growth in new-energy, clean-energy vessels for domestic market

Country has over 600 LNG vessels, primarily used for inland cargo transport, and 485 battery-powered electric vessels, mostly serving as passenger ferries.
Admin

Published

3 hours ago

on

July 8, 2025

By

Vice Transport Minister Fu Xuyin MT

China is accelerating its shift to use greener bunker fuels in inland water transport, with more than 1,000 vessels powered by new energy or clean energy now operating nationwide, according to the Ministry of Transport.

As of the end of 2024, the country had over 600 liquefied natural gas (LNG) vessels, primarily used for inland cargo transport, and 485 battery-powered electric vessels, mostly serving as passenger ferries, Vice Transport Minister Fu Xuyin told a press conference on 27 June.

A smaller number of inland vessels powered by methanol or hydrogen fuel cells are also in use, Fu added.

China’s electric vessel industry has developed rapidly in recent years, leading globally in both scale and technological advancement, he said.

Alongside upgrading vessels, China is accelerating efforts to develop green, low-carbon ports, and this includes expanding and renovating inland port terminals with a focus on sustainability, Fu noted.

China is also developing near-zero-carbon inland terminals, encouraging the use of wind and solar power at ports, promoting the use of new energy and clean energy in port machinery and on-site transport vehicles, and prioritizing rail and new-energy trucks for bulk cargo handling, he added.

 

Photo credit: Xu Xiang/China State Council Information Office
Published: 8 July 2025

Continue Reading
Advertisement

OUR INDUSTRY PARTNERS



Trending