The Global Ro-Ro Community (GRC), which includes Eastern Car Liner, Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Mitsui OSK Lines, Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha, Wallenius Wilhelmsen and ClassNK has announced guidelines for calculating GHG emission intensity for ro-ro ships, such as car carriers, in conjunction with the international non-profit organisation Smart Freight Centre (SFC), aiming to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the logistics sector.
These guidelines introduce a common calculation method, enabling shippers to accurately measure Scope 3 emissions, and are intended to further promote decarbonisation in the shipping industry.
In recent years, interest in carbon emissions (carbon footprint) throughout the lifecycle of products and services has been increasing. But this has not been without challenge, in particular, the accurate measurement of GHG emissions in maritime transport and differences arising in individual calculation methods.
GRC’s six members participated in discussions hosted by SFC and developed a standard model for calculating GHG emissions through open discussions ensuring fairness and transparency with stakeholders involved in ro-ro ships (shipping companies, shippers) and third-party verification organisations. The standard model complies with ISO 14083 and the GLEC (Global Logistics Emissions Council) framework. Derived from the standard model presented by GRC, it now features as a set of guidelines on the SFC website. In the future, SFC plans to collect actual data on environmental performance on a ship-by-ship basis and publish average high-precision emission intensity data for the industry.
Consequently, the initiative provides a cross-industry first step towards decarbonising global logistics and contributes to promoting measures against global warming.
The guidelines, Deep-sea Ro-Ro Ship Greenhouse Gas Emission Intensity Calculation Methods, are available for download here.
Image: Group Photo of the Global Ro-Ro Community (source: Mitsui OSK Lines)
