Ocean freight carbon emissions are a serious problem encountered all over the world. The vessels transporting cargo from one port to the other produce harmful greenhouse gasses (GHG), as they are dependent on fossil fuels. This, in turn, contributes to rising temperatures and climate change. 

 

The shipping industry annually produces around 940 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2), amounting to 2.5% of the global greenhouse gasses. According to a study by IMO (International Maritime Organization), if this is left unchecked, by 2050, carbon emissions can increase by 50 to 250%. 

 

However, if you take active steps to track the emissions your freight is about to generate and do your best to reduce the same, you’ll prevent the unnecessary burning of fossil fuels, thereby contributing to climate change and keeping your shipment carbon-neutral or well below the prescribed limits by the authorities. 

 

Best Way to Reduce Ocean Freight Emissions

You cannot reduce shipping emissions in just one-day. This is a lengthy process that needs to be checked every time you are looking at cargo shipment, and being from the logistics industry, it is almost every day. One of the largest contributors to carbon emissions is empty container shipment. When you ship empty containers, you’re unnecessarily burning fossil fuel. If you avoid doing that, you can save almost 30% of the pollution caused by the ships. 

 

If you look at the data closely, you will see that a 12% reduction in at-sea average speed ultimately leads to a 27% average decrease in the daily consumption of fuel. Fuel consumption, needless to say, also decreases GHG emissions. Checking a real-time updated ocean freight blank sailing list before choosing a container line for your shipment can help you keep track of this and save carbon emissions, slowly but steadily. 

 

How Does Timber Exchange Help Minimize Ocean Freight Carbon Footprint?

Understanding the age of your vessel and its specifications like the fuel it uses and the amount of emissions generated by it is critical. Timber Exchange acknowledges that and has come up with several smart tools & data sets that can help you, at the booking stage, to identify and compare emissions for shipments.

 

The first of these is a real-time updated subscription-based Market Data Hub. Through this feature, you can check the Container Line Performance and get a detailed Ocean Blank Sailing schedule. 

 

Blank sailings, also known as void sailing, is a term used when a shipping line or carrier skips a port in their scheduled journey or the entire scheduled route altogether. This can happen due to the low demand for container space, port congestion, mechanical problems that require emergency repairs, bad weather conditions, or a reduced shipping line capacity, amongst other reasons. 

 

As you input the name of the POL and the POD, you will get a list of containers sailing on that route and their recent performance. A high percentage of blank sailing announcements would mean that the carriers aren’t reliable and you should avoid them. Having an ocean blank sailing report handy would help you select a container line that has announced the least number of blank sailings and ensure your cargo reaches the destination on time. 

 

The next one is a Carbon Emission Calculator tool. Through this tool, the planned journey between the port of loading and the port of destination can be checked. For every journey, you can also see the planned vessels and the amount of emissions they might generate, thereby helping you pick the one with the least amount. The tool also gives a report of the exact amount of emissions generated by the freight once the delivery is done based on the speed of the vessel and the weather during the entire voyage. 


When used together, these two tools can keep your carbon emissions in check and give you the best options for shipment from one destination to another. To know more, check out here or get in touch with our industry professionals.