Procureship: How AI helps shipowners see and shrink their vessels’ Scope 3 emissions

Shipping’s climate footprint is not just fuel burned at sea – it is built into everything shipowners buy for vessel operations. 

Gary Yeow, Head of Sales – APAC at Procureship, shares how Procureship’s EmissionPassport gives owners visibility into their fleets’ Scope 3 emissions and the data to start reducing them: 

Maritime shipping is responsible for about 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and, according to the International Maritime Organization’s Fourth Greenhouse Gas Study, that share could rise to 90% to 130% of 2008 levels by 2050 without further intervention. 

Shipping’s decarbonisation conversation has largely centred on fuel – energy efficiency, alternative fuels, and the emissions that come directly from burning bunker fuel at sea. However, it is often forgotten that a large share of a vessel’s climate footprint is from its wider supply chain, including the husbandry goods, spare parts, and logistics services it receives throughout its operation. These Scope 3 emissions – distinct from Scope 1 emissions from burning fuel, or Scope 2 emissions from wider energy production – have traditionally been difficult for shipowners, operators and managers to access and even harder to calculate, typically requiring consultants, manual spreadsheets, and months of chasing suppliers for data. 

This is starting to change as AI is applied to the maritime procurement process. Shipping has traditionally been slow to digitalise, but procurement is proving to be an early indicator of how quickly that is shifting. A recent Achilles survey of 2,805 organisations found marine transport recorded a 56% AI adoption rate across procurement, supplier risk, and sustainability management – second only to the technology sector, and well above the 37% average across all sectors. 

The regulatory push

With the EU’s Fit for 55 package and the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) tightening reporting expectations, shipping companies operating in the region increasingly need Scope 3 data that is fast, reliable, and audit-ready. 

By comparison, APAC operators face a more fragmented and phased regulatory horizon.

Singapore, for example, will require Straits Times Index constituents to report Scope 3 emissions from FY2026, under rules jointly set by SGX RegCo and the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA), with other listed companies still on a longer, voluntary timeline. Similar disclosure requirements are also being phased in Hong Kong and Australia under their respective mandatory climate-reporting regimes. As a result, many APAC shipowners and managers whose fleets trade internationally will need to satisfy multiple sets of expectations. Beyond compliance, the same Scope 3 data is also what allows owners to cut costs, make smarter purchasing decisions, and prepare for greener fleets. 

As a result, shipowners and managers operating under the CSRD will require Scope 3 data that is automated and available on demand. Those who already have enhanced visibility of their procurement-related emissions will find the coming reporting cycles far less disruptive than those still working from spreadsheets. 

Where AI fits in 

Procureship, the world’s leading maritime e-procurement platform, has partnered with ReFlow to build an emissions calculator into their wider maritime procurement platform. Known as the EmissionPassport, this AI-powered API calculates the GHG footprint of a purchase automatically, drawing on Procureship’s network of more than 10,000 maritime suppliers. 

EmissionPassport connects procurement with GHG data, automatically selecting the best available data type for each purchase – spend-based, weight-based, product carbon footprint (PCF) or lifecycle assessment (LCA) – depending on what a supplier can provide. Curated databases ensure the underlying data stays maritime-relevant. Working out which data type best fits a given purchase is a decision a person could make manually for a single purchase order, but not for the thousands a fleet processes every month, which is precisely the gap AI is suited to bridge. 

A large fleet can involve thousands of suppliers, most of which offer little transparency on the Scope 3 emissions attached to what they sell. With a steady flow of purchase data, shipowners will be able to compare suppliers and product lines on climate impact rather than just pricing, and track it continuously rather than waiting for a compiled report. A fleet switching to a lower-carbon supplier, for instance, would be able to see that decision reflected in the numbers immediately. 

That visibility is what turns Scope 3 from compliance paperwork into something owners can monitor – month by month, vessel by vessel – to see whether their decarbonisation strategies are working.  

From visibility to reduction

Vessels running on greener fuels or fitted with energy-saving devices are already seeing a significant drop in Scope 1 emissions from fuel combustion. However, as that trend continues, Scope 3 emissions make up a bigger share of a vessel’s overall carbon footprint. For owners with net-zero targets, that means their decarbonisation strategies must extend into procurement decisions, including which suppliers are engaged, which products are chosen, and how those choices are monitored over time. 

This is where AI’s role shifts from reporting to reduction. With emissions data attached to everything a fleet buys, owners have visibility into which suppliers or product lines are driving up a vessel’s footprint, and where lower carbon alternatives exist within the same supplier base. Owners can then make decisions that suit their own fleet’s emission targets.

As Scope 3 reporting requirements mature for maritime across the globe, that combination of visibility and actionable data is likely to matter as much as any single fuel choice. 

Photo credit: Procureship
Published: 28 October, 2026