According to Ulstein Group company Ulstein Digital, ship operators face mounting pressure from environmental reporting, with crews and office staff spending hours on manual processes.
Ulstein Digital is launching two AI-powered solutions to automate this: an MRV solution for EU/UK MRV and EU ETS, and a NOx solution for quarterly reporting in Norwegian waters, reducing risk while freeing up time and resources. Both solutions connect directly to data sources the vessel is already generating, with minimal hardware changes required. That data is automatically collected, validated and compiled into ready-to-submit reports, radically reducing manual handling and duplicate workflows.
The EU ETS phase-in for shipping in 2026 reaches 100% of verified emissions; every tonne of CO₂ now carries its full carbon cost, with no phase-in discounts remaining. With operators already accumulating high-stakes data for the 2026 reporting deadline in March 2027, the financial consequences of inaccurate or late submissions have escalated dramatically.
Ulstein Digital’s MRV solution covers both EU/EEA and UK waters simultaneously. It applies complex regulatory rules in real time and delivers verifier-ready reports to DNV’s Veracity platform with a single click, complete with a full audit trail. Because it is entirely vendor-independent, shipowners can integrate it with existing onboard systems regardless of supplier.
Claimed benefits for operators include:
- Reporting and verification time reduced by up to 40 %
- Fewer rejections and faster approval cycles
- Full visibility of emissions-related costs across the fleet
Available now on a per-vessel, per-month subscription, the MRV solution provides a next-generation version of a platform proven with shipowner customers. For vessels with propulsion power above 750kW operating in Norwegian waters, NOx Fund obligations have long been an operational headache. Meeting them has relied almost entirely on manual data entry by ships’ crew: many hours spent each quarter logging fuel consumption and SCR performance data, with significant exposure to human error.
Ulstein Digital’s NOx solution automates the quarterly reporting workflow, validating and compiling submission-ready reports for delivery to the NOx Fund or flag authorities in one click. Every NOx record becomes fully verified, traceable and auditable, freeing crew to focus on running the vessel.
The solution provides fleet-wide NOx cost visibility, giving managers insight into fuel use and cost per vessel, enabling operational outliers to be identified and corrected before they become a financial liability. As environmental requirements continue to tighten, Ulstein Digital suggests that the winners will be those who turn compliance into capability. With automated, AI-powered reporting, ship operators can shift focus from paperwork to performance.
Image: Ulstein Digital Commercial Director Dordi Blekken and Data Scientist Mikal Breiteig (credit: Alexander Thorsen / Ulstein Group)
