Page 32: of Marine News Magazine (May 2025)

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Feature

Towboats & Tugboats

Carbon ‘Scorers’ Emerging; But What are they Scoring?

The SEC rules, where big cargo movers need not report Service Association (OMSA), representing owners work-

Scope 3 emissions, apply to stock-listed entities, but re? ect ing the offshore oil and gas ? elds (and, in recent years, a broader mood. Bloomberg had noted that: “Green chat- offshore wind) several of which are listed in the Ditch- ter on quarterly calls peaked at the beginning of Carbon database, told Marine News: “I have serious 2022…” A year after the release of the SEC rules, the ESG questions about the validity of their data, and indeed, fervor of 2021-2022 seems to have died down. However, their overall methodologies. For starters, they missed the the Arti? cial Intelligence (AI) revolution is now impacting boat on describing the correct industry sector for three of public and private cargo shippers alike, many of whom our members, putting Hornbeck Offshore into ‘inland will still be eager to trumpet their successes in reducing transportation’, Harvey Gulf into ‘land transportation’ emissions. Indeed, a new wave of “carbon scorers” who are and Edison Chouest into ‘manufacturing’.

drawing on available “data” crunched through AI routines Smith also had doubts about how the various scores are rating carriers, including some well-known names in were derived, adding that: “It is not clear where the the inland, offshore and coastwise segments. One such ‘scores’ come from; they are something of a black box. scoring provider is the U.K. based startup www.ditchcar- What I would point out, even if the measurements were bon.com, described as a “Scope 3 emissions platform.” Its approaching accuracy – which is NOT the case here – is rankings of various companies are not based on measur- that vessels may need to engage in less than perfectly ef- ing devices mounted on vessel exhaust stacks; rather, its ? cient operations in the name of safety. For example, the

DitchCarbon score “… leverages proprietary algorithms vessels operated by these companies could run their power to analyze dozens of data points speci? c to an organiza- plants a more optimum level, but doing so would expose tion and calculates their score between 0 and 100.” Spe- them to a more dangerous condition where they would ci? c pages on its web portal directed at “Maritime Trans- not have suf? cient reserve power to escape a bad situation portation” say: “Each company has a DitchCarbon score, caused by a change in environmental conditions, equip- calculated based on 30+ company-speci? c emissions data ment malfunctions, or a variety of other factors. These points. The score ranges from 0-100, with higher scores realities don’t seem to be captured in the Ditch Carbon indicating better environmental performance.” methodology, which looks a lot like guess-work.”

Aaron Smith, President/ CEO of the Offshore Marine https://ditchcarbon.com/industries/maritime-transportation 32 | MN May 2025