GCMD Unveils OCCS Impact Calculator for EU ETS | Mariner News

The Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation (GCMD) has launched an Onboard Carbon Capture and Storage (OCCS) Impact Calculator, providing shipowners with a critical tool to assess the commercial viability and EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) compliance benefits of OCCS. Unveiled during GCMD’s fifth anniversary celebrations, the calculator operationalises OCCS as a tangible pathway for meeting regulatory obligations.

Building on findings from Project CAPTURED, the tool allows users to estimate volumes of CO2 that can be captured, stored, and offloaded from vessels, and subsequently mineralised after downstream processing. Crucially, it quantifies how these captured volumes could directly affect a shipowner’s EU ETS compliance costs, including the precise number of EU Allowances (EUAs) that may need to be surrendered.

The calculator’s ability to model varying capture rates, onboard storage capacities, and operating durations, while also accounting for losses during offloading and downstream handling, offers a sophisticated financial planning instrument. This moves OCCS beyond technical speculation, enabling shipowners to integrate carbon capture into concrete long-term operational and investment strategies by providing granular data on potential cost savings and compliance efficiencies.

This development arrives as the regulatory landscape increasingly considers recognition for captured CO2 within the EU ETS framework. The GCMD’s calculator therefore signals a significant step towards mainstreaming OCCS as a commercially viable decarbonisation and compliance solution for the maritime industry.