The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has set a goal to reach net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from international shipping by or around 2050, compared to 2008 levels, while striving to phase out emissions as soon as possible. To achieve this, IMO is implementing decarbonization regulations, including the adoption of alternative fuels and requiring full lifecycle accounting of fuel GHG emissions.
Lifecycle emissions refer to the total GHG emissions associated with a fuel—from raw material extraction and processing, through production, transportation, and distribution, to final use onboard ships. Accurately tracking these emissions is challenging due to the wide variety of fuel production pathways, which can result in vastly different emission intensities even for chemically identical fuels. Additionally, the marine fuel supply chain is highly complex, further complicating the task.
In such a multifaceted regulatory and production landscape, transparency, traceability, and accuracy of emissions data are essential. Without reliable documentation and verification of marine fuel GHG emissions, it is impossible to measure progress toward maritime decarbonization.
The Digital Fuel Passport (DFP) project aims to address these challenges by demonstrating that it is possible to accurately document, track, and verify GHG emissions of marine fuels across the entire supply chain. This will be achieved using three well-established technological building blocks: lifecycle assessment methodology, fuel tagging technology, and blockchain technology.
So far, the project has delivered several concrete results: a regionalised life cycle study of ammonia as a maritime fuel has been published in a peer-reviewed conference paper; an early-stage prototype of the Digital Fuel Passport concept has been developed; and a life cycle inventory (LCI) dataset for biomethanol production has been generated.
Upon successful demonstration, fuel producers, shipowners, and regulators will be able to rely on the data generated and shared through the DFP system for commercial, compliance, and reporting purposes. This will support tracking of emission reduction targets for all stakeholders, while promoting transparency, accountability, collaboration, and action toward a more sustainable maritime industry.
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) only regulates the greenhouse gas emission of fuels from Tank-To-Wake but in the coming few years it is set to include Well-To-Tank emissions as well. We anticipate that documenting and verifying Well-To-Tank emissions of fuels will be more difficult than Tank-To-Wake emissions, primarily due to the multitude of feedstocks, energy sources and fuel production ways used to supply fuels. The Digital Fuel Passport project aims to accurately document and verify emissions incurred in the entire fuel value chain from raw material sourcing to fuel use, incorporating both Well-To-Tank and Tank-To-Wake emissions.
The DFP fosters collaboration among stakeholders within the fuel supply chain. The project will be enabled through multidisciplinary convergence of LCA of fuel emissions, fuel marking and laboratory analysis, and the use of distributed ledger technology. This initiative aims to bridge the existing trust gap among fuel suppliers, fuel users, regulators, and society at large. By doing so, it seeks to establish transparency, accuracy, and a consistent methodology for measuring and reporting emissions throughout the entire fuel value chain.
To accomplish this objective, the project has formed partnerships with shipping companies, fuel producers, certification bodies, and fuel marking companies, all of whom share a vested interest in achieving the project's objectives. Successful completion of the project will represent a pivotal milestone in the pursuit of the IMO decarbonization target. By documenting emissions incurred throughout the fuel value chain, the DFP project empowers stakeholders with the transparency and trust needed to help the shipping industry to decarbonize. Several R&D challenges will be tackled in the project including how to link fuel emission data efficiently and reliably with fuel marker properties and identification of suitable fuel markers for green marine fuels.
