Shipping Industry’s Decarbonization Enhanced by Dedicated Book and Claim Registry

(Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping) The Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping (MMMCZCS) and RMI (formerly Rocky Mountain Institute) are launching Katalist, a not-for-profit ‘book and claim’ registry designed to accelerate the shipping industry’s decarbonization journey.

Regulations to reduce the carbon intensity of the marine industry are being introduced by both the European Union (EU) and the International Maritime Organization (IMO). Katalist accelerates this process by connecting shipping companies adopting lower emission fuels with cargo owners looking for more sustainable supply chains.

Book and claim is a chain-of-custody model that separates a product from its sustainability benefits and transfers them to another party through a registry. This enables customers to claim the environmental benefits of a product without physically receiving it.

“As a result, cargo owners willing to pay a green premium for low emission maritime transport services can reliably use Katalist to achieve that goal, while ship operators using low emission fuels can use it to access a broader market of freight customers willing to pay an environmental supplement,” said Bo Cerup-Simonsen, CEO of MMMCZCS. “Moreover, the registry will help drive investments in lower-emission fuels, boosting commercial availability.”

Katalist was designed in partnership with the Energy Web Foundation using experience gained from the development of a range of chain-of-custody models, including the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Registry (SAFc), and extensive knowledge of shipping decarbonization. Over 25 organizations from across the maritime value chain have also contributed to the development and testing of the system and confirm the registry as a critical enabler within the shipping decarbonization ecosystem.

“Katalist is a transformative approach to maritime shipping, providing a trusted, independent, and easy-to-use platform to freight customers committed to decarbonizing the shipping sector,” said Jon Creyts, CEO, RMI. “The platform demonstrates how a collaborative effort through the value chain can foster scalable, systemic change that favors long-term, sustainable decarbonization over temporary solutions. This joint effort is writing the future of sustainable shipping, bringing all stakeholders along.”

The registry enables freight customers to receive transparent information about the savings they’ve obtained in a consistent, auditable format across multiple carriers. Katalist also sets strict criteria, ensuring every token booked on the registry corresponds to low-emission fuels used during a voyage.

Katalist gives carriers access to a broad customer base and reduces the administrative burden of selling low emission transport. It also provides them the flexibility to bunker any available alternative fuel without concern for whether their freight customer will be willing to cover the cost. Katalist has already attracted attention from cargo owners as the Zero Emission Maritime Buyers Alliance (ZEMBA) members will use Katalist to facilitate the claiming of sustainable marine fuel tokens generated through ZEMBA’s first tender in 2025 and 2026.

For more information visit www.katalist.eco

Katalist is a non-profit platform providing tailwinds for the sustainable shipping transition by connecting companies with the independent and trusted solutions they need to decarbonize their cargo today.

Developed by The Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping and RMI in collaboration with 29 organizations across the value chain, Katalist is dedicated to providing credible, transparent and applicable solutions that benefit the entire maritime industry.

RMI is an independent nonprofit founded in 1982 that transforms global energy systems through market-driven solutions to align with a 1.5°C future and secure a clean, prosperous, zero-carbon future for all. We work in the world’s most critical geographies and engage businesses, policymakers, communities, and NGOs to identify and scale energy system interventions that will cut climate pollution at least 50 percent by 2030.RMI has offices in Basalt and Boulder, Colorado; New York City; Oakland, California; Washington, D.C.; Abuja, Nigeria; and Beijing. More information on RMI can be found at www.rmi.org or follow us on LinkedIn @RMI.

The Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping (MMMCZCS) is an independent, not-for-profit research and development center established in 2020 with funding from the A.P. Moller Foundation.

Our purpose is to guide and accelerate decarbonization of the global maritime industry. This complex challenge requires unprecedented collaboration across sectors, industries, and geographies.

Working with our partners, governments, authorities, public sector bodies, scientists, and organizations across the global maritime industry we mature solutions to the most pressing problems across the maritime value chain, from fuels to onboard solutions, regulations, and financing.

For more information, please visit www.zerocarbonshipping.com

Katalist — Fueling change, starting today

Katalist

Katalist serves as a bridge between freight customers who want to reduce their shipping emissions and shipping companies using low emission fuel. It simplifies the purchase of low emission shipping through a verified, trackable mechanism.

How it works

Katalist is based on a Book and Claim model where, the physical product (e.g., low emission fuel) is separated from its environmental attributes (low emissions).

How Katalist benefits freight customers and shipping companies

Freight customers are immediately empowered to begin reducing their emissions today, without needing to wait for physical access to low emission transport. Katalist’s transparent, verified data allows them to report emissions savings consistently across carriers.

Shipping companies using low-emission fuels can share the costs and benefits across a wider customer base, without needing to depend on a physical connection to forward thinking customers. They can bunker alternative fuel where available and reduce the administrative burden of selling low emission shipping. READ MORE

Related articles