De-Risking Emission Compliance and Empowering Your Crew

Climate change is very real. No more so than in the maritime industry, which is responsible for 3% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. With maritime transportation, including container vessels and bulk carriers, accounting for the movement of over 80% of all goods globally, the industry is facing transformative challenges in adopting smart shipping technologies to achieve net-zero emissions. 

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) took a significant step toward this goal, approving its IMO Net-Zero Framework in April 2025, with this important landmark anticipated to be implemented by 2027. Within this transitional landscape, ship operators need to grasp the challenges with a clear commitment to forward-thinking investments in green technologies.  

Bestship’s multi-layered data-led vessel performance management service sets the standard in maritime digitalization and allowing crews to become key enablers. 

Decarbonization: The Bigger Picture 

It's entirely understandable for a crew member to question how they can play a positive role in their vessel's journey to net-zero. Whether individual or collective, their actions and responsibilities provide the baseline for creating an emission-free shipping future. 

However, decarbonizing shipping faces formidable challenges, including financial constraints, retrofitting to expand vessel lifespans, adopting alternative fuels such as LNG, methanol or ammonia, and the shortage of bunkering infrastructure at ports. 

A one-size-fits-all approach is challenging to envision, given the diverse range of trade routes and the various types of fleets. 

Additionally, the industry faces a talent and knowledge gap. Adopting new technologies and operating greener vessels requires upskilling seafarers and shore-based teams, an area where training programs are only beginning to emerge. 

The Regulatory Landscape 

Regulatory fragmentation adds another layer of complexity to the decarbonization route. While the IMO sets global rules, regional regulations for shipping introduce additional compliance challenges related to carbon emissions. There are up to six regulations that shape shipping's reporting, charter eligibility, and financial exposure. 

Existing IMO regulations comprise the Data Collection System (DCS) and Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII), which are linked to the Ship Energy Efficiency Management Plan (SEEMP). 

In the EU, there are Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) regulations, as well as the Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) and FuelEU Maritime, which introduces a carbon cost on each ton of fuel burned. 

Additionally, the IMO is launching the Net-Zero Framework, adding more complexity to trading in Europe. 

IMO's Net-Zero Framework 

The IMO's approved Net-Zero Framework will establish the first global carbon pricing mechanism for maritime transport, aiming for GHG neutrality by 2050. This targets all ships above 5,000 GT, affecting about 85% of the merchant fleet.  

It will employ a dual-tier compliance system with a baseline emissions threshold and a stricter target line. Emissions are measured "well-to-wake" from fuel production and transport to consumption and vessel movement. If a ship exceeds the first threshold, a $100/ton CO₂ levy applies. That jumps to $380/ton CO₂ if a second tier is breached. 

Ship operators face several key actions to prepare before implementation. These include: 

• Defining a vessel's attained GHG Fuel Intensity (GFI) and projection: To accurately assess a vessel's attained GFI, it's essential to evaluate the accessibility and reliability of the data. The adoption of alternative fuels often introduces added complexity, making it more challenging to form a clear picture of performance. Having accurate, verified data not only supports prompt corrective actions but also ensures alignment with compliance objectives. 
  Solution: Implement a centralized platform that consolidates all relevant data points and provides a thorough analysis of current fuel performance, facilitating future projections of a vessel's future compliance status, considering various scenarios and variables.
  
  
• Formulate a compliance strategy: Emission compliance has become a specialized discipline in routine ship operations. With overlapping regulations, navigating compliance requires specialized expertise. 
  Solution: Having seasoned subject-matter experts minimizes a ship operator's exposure to non-compliance risks and helps unlock opportunities to optimize vessel efficiency. Expert guidance can make the difference in staying ahead and help align the compliance strategy to international and regional regulations. 
  
  
• Monitor and optimize overall fleet performance: Identify the most cost-effective decarbonization pathways with precision, using accurate insights. 
  Solution: Partner with a compliance specialist to ensure vessel performance variables are managed, data drives decision-making, and helps achieve environmental goals and operational efficiencies 

Role of Data 

All compliance regimes depend on one component: vessel-reported data. There are two data streams available: 

• Vessel-reported data: daily/noon reports (manual, sometimes corrected) 
• High-frequency data: real-time metrics such as engine load, shaft torque, speed, and weather 

The mismatch between the two is where risk, inefficiency, and blind spots occur. Poor data can lead to inaccurate compliance reports, missed early signs of performance decline, and incorrect voyage decisions. 

Emissions reporting can impact many stakeholders, including vessel crews, shipowners, ship management teams, port agents, and charterers. 

“It's not the policy text or regulation that determines your exposure, but the accuracy and consistency of the data your vessel reports," said Michael Brandhoff, Managing Director, Bestship. "Poor data is the biggest risk in emissions compliance. It leads to flawed reports, missed signals, and wrong voyage decisions." 

Crew First: Data Handling Next 

Ship operations will, undoubtedly, depend on improved data accuracy. That requires a smart, human-centered process in which crews, whether they are working on a container vessel, bulk carrier, LNG or LPG vessel, are more than just passive readers of gauges.  

"Vessel data accuracy is the critical success factor, with smart, crew-friendly reporting processes the best starting point," Michael added. "When crews understand the 'why' behind reporting, we get quality data." 

Crews will only feel they are contributing to the decarbonization effort onboard if they have a reporting tool they can trust under all circumstances. They will have to provide reliable data from different sources, often from the engine rooms. 

Crucially, crews should ideally rely on sourcing consistent, validated data, utilizing a single platform to the point where they are considered ‘data coaches’. A unified dataset means greater transparency and a single source of truth for all stakeholders. 

The Solution  

Figuring out how crews can incorporate data metrics to achieve your fleet’s sustainability goals? Bestship is helping shipowners evolve as leaders in redefining vessel performance management.  

It offers a data-driven, expert-led approach for shipowners and operators seeking to enhance fleet performance, reduce emissions, and navigate the complex regulatory landscape without incurring significant capital expenditures. 

Bestship’s NEMO solution is already serving over 500 ships, generating significant value by improving operational efficiency, minimizing speed and consumption claims, while enabling vessels to complete more commercial cycles annually. Additionally, its experts have achieved savings between 15% and 20% for retrofitted vessels. 

Shipowners can adopt a three-tiered vessel performance management to achieve optimal performance and value: 

• Data Management & Regulatory Compliance: Offers seamless compliance with IMO DCS, EU ETS, UK MRV, and FuelEU Maritime. Tailored monitoring plans, data quality assurance, timely submissions, reporting, and streamlined documentation management. 
• Technical Performance Management Service: Enables expert-led data analysis for technical and commercial strategic decision-making. 
• Tailored Performance Management: An active role in optimizing the entire commercial voyage process for shipping operators.  

Roadmap to Net-Zero 

Tightening decarbonization regulations are rapidly transforming the industry, prompting an overhaul of fleet efficiency strategies. Operators must balance innovation, risk, compliance, and performance. Bestship is helping clients meet these challenges with measurable results that drive value and support net-zero goals.  

Learn how Bestship’s technological solutions can benefit your fleet. 

About Bestship: BestShip, jointly owned by Wilhelmsen Ship Management and MPC Capital AG, specializes in vessel performance management. Headquartered in Hamburg with offices in Oslo and Kuala Lumpur, Bestship enhances operational efficiency, regulatory compliance, and sustainability through data-driven solutions, aiming to reduce fuel consumption and emissions while boosting profitability.