The Global Shipping Business Network (GSBN), a neutral consortium committed to fostering efficient, paperless, and sustainable growth in global trade, has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with DNV, a leading classification society. The collaboration aims to expedite the shipping industry’s decarbonisation efforts and the adoption of alternative fuels by facilitating the trusted exchange of verified data to substantiate green claims.
This partnership comes in the wake of the International Maritime Organization’s Maritime Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 80) revising its greenhouse gas strategy, setting an ambitious target to cut CO2 emissions by at least 40% by 2030. Achieving this objective will necessitate technological innovation and the incorporation of alternative fuels and energy sources. Crucially, there is an imperative to meticulously measure, track, and verify emissions reduction data across the supply chain to ensure the credibility and comparability of green claims, thereby reinforcing the accountability of decarbonisation investments.
DNV, a trusted voice in the industry, has recently unveiled Emissions Connect, a data verification engine designed to authenticate operational data. Under the terms of the MoU, DNV and GSBN will jointly conduct pilot projects involving existing Shipping Line members. The aim is to link verified shipment data from DNV, thereby issuing credible and accountable green claims to end-users, underpinned by granular, real-world data. As the industry grapples with transformative changes, such as the European Union Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) and various book-and-claim systems, reliable shipment-level data becomes indispensable for customer participation in the decarbonisation trajectory.
Bertrand Chen, CEO at GSBN, remarked, “For shipping decarbonisation to be realised at scale, a robust foundation of verified data is essential to enable trusted data sharing across the fragmented and complex supply chain. GSBN’s network of Shipping members and its blockchain infrastructure are optimally positioned for this use case. In collaboration with DNV, platform users can share verified vessel operational data granularly with end customers, thereby supporting informed decision-making and substantiating claims of sustainable shipping.”
Trond Hodne, Business Director Maritime at DNV, added, “We are thrilled to collaborate with GSBN and the network’s users to fast-track decarbonisation within the shipping sector. We equip our customers and their stakeholders with factual and reliable insights, enabling critical decisions to be made for environmental betterment. Leveraging GSBN’s data infrastructure and our service, we can assist network users in achieving heightened transparency and accountability concerning green claims.”
The partnership between GSBN and DNV represents a significant stride in the shipping industry’s collective endeavour to meet stringent decarbonisation targets, backed by verified data and transparent, accountable practices.
