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 Maritime Regulations and Shipping News

May 22, 2025 – The maritime industry is currently navigating the complex waters of FuelEU Maritime compliance. In response, BetterSea has announced a crucial partnership with Normec Verifavia, a prominent player in maritime emissions verification. This strategic alliance aims to simplify compliance processes for shipowners. Transforming Compliance into an Efficient Process BetterSea's partnership with Normec Verifavia will seamlessly integrate automated data validation and fi

One of the lesser-discussed but tricky elements of the FuelEU Maritime Regulation is the power of administering states to conduct retrospective checks, reviewing and re-verifying compliance data after it has already been submitted and even accepted. This retrospective power can reach back two full compliance periods and can have significant implications. What happens if a ship’s 2025 data is reassessed in 2027? What if that vessel was part of a pool that was declared complian

With EU ETS and FuelEU Maritime dominating shipping's decarbonisation agendas at the moment and the IMO Net-Zero Framework on the horizon, shipping companies are looking for the best alternative fuels that meet both operational and regulatory needs. Among these, Bio-LNG is emerging, not just as alternative fuel, but as a key option foshipping to comply with FuelEU Maritime, the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS), and the IMO Net-Zero Framework. In today’s newsletter, we loo

The FuelEU Maritime Regulation has been a hot topic in the EU for more than a year. But as of last Friday, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has followed suit and has finalized its Net-Zero Framework, as amendment to MARPOL Annex VI. This new framework is a major step towards maritime decarbonisation, with a compliance mechanism that closely mirrors the FuelEU Maritime Regulation — but on a worldwide scale. In this newsletter, we explain the basic elements of the

IBIA Highlights BetterSea’s Insights on EU ETS, FuelEU Maritime, and IMO Net-Zero Framework. At the recent IBIA (International Bunker Industry Association) Member Meeting held on April 14, 2025, industry stakeholders convened to discuss the key outcomes from the IMO's Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) 83 session. IBIA featured BetterSea’s latest blog post analyzing the financial implications of the IMO’s Net-Zero Framework, EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS), a

With FuelEU Maritime now in full swing, understanding which parts of energy consumed counts on which voyage—and how much—towards your compliance balance can make or break your most cost-effective compliance strategy. The regulation applies to all vessels above 5,000 GT calling EU/EEA ports, but the percentage of energy considered under FuelEU differs dramatically depending on the voyage profile. Today’s newsletter breaks it down in detail: we look beyond the usual intra-EU vs

As the maritime industry tackles FuelEU Maritime and EU ETS, the business case for Onshore Power Supply (OPS)—also known as shore power or cold ironing—is becoming increasingly interesting for shipping companies. By allowing vessels to reduce their fuel consumption while at berth and draw power from the local electricity grid, OPS reduces at-berth emissions, and can help save FuelEU Maritime penalties and EU ETS costs. This week's newsletter dives into what OPS is, whether it

With the FuelEU Maritime Regulation now in effect, LNG-powered vessels are in a unique position. Their lower greenhouse gas (GHG) intensity compared to conventional marine fuels provides an opportunity to generate compliance surpluses at no extra OPEX. But can an LNG vessel rely solely on banking surpluses to stay compliant in the long run? And more importantly, should it? This week’s newsletter explores whether LNG ships can "bank their way" through FuelEU Maritime complianc

With the introduction of FuelEU Maritime following the famous EU ETS, shipping companies must make strategic decisions about meeting their compliance obligations at the lowest cost. Two of the most prominent pathways are: Using biofuels to reduce a vessel’s greenhouse gas (GHG) intensity. Purchasing surplus and pooling to offset compliance deficits at a lower cost. But when is one option better than the other? Using real biofuel market data, we provide a FuelEU surplus value