Financing the Transition: Why Data Will Decide Who Gets Green Capital
by Matt Galston, CEO OceanPass
Investors and banks see a trillion-dollar gap in shipping’s energy transition. ESG-linked lending is accelerating, but only when emissions performance is transparent and reliable. Data is the key that unlocks green capital.
A report published earlier this month by the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) and the Lloyd’s Register Maritime Decarbonisation Hub, “Navigating the Net-Zero Transition,” noted that investors and banks see a trillion-dollar gap in shipping’s energy transition. Without access to capital at scale, the move toward alternative fuels, retrofits, and infrastructure risks stalling.
For financiers, the appetite to deploy green capital is strong. Poseidon Principles signatories, ESG funds, and major banks all want to back owners who can demonstrate alignment with climate goals. But there’s a catch: capital only flows when emissions data is credible, comparable, and timely.That is where many owners stumble. Emissions reporting today is fragmented across multiple regimes — IMO DCS, EU MRV, CII, and soon UK ETS. Data is often delayed, incomplete, or inconsistent with the methodologies financiers must disclose against. For banks, that makes it harder to prove climate alignment. For owners, it means higher scrutiny, tougher terms, or missed opportunities altogether.
This is why emissions intelligence is becoming a prerequisite for financing. Owners who can deliver verified, regulator-ready data not only ease the burden for their lenders, but also position themselves for preferential access to ESG-linked lending and green capital products. In a market where financing terms can shift with a single rating band, the ability to validate emissions performance is a commercial advantage.
At OceanPass, we built the Bankers Module with this in mind, automating annual disclosures, validating data against IMO and Poseidon Principle frameworks, and offering near real-time portfolio transparency. For owners, it provides the assurance that their data is correct, consistent, and aligned with the metrics financiers care about. The result: smoother reporting, stronger credibility, and faster access to capital.
The transition to net zero will not be financed by ambition alone. It will be financed by data. Owners who treat emissions reporting as more than a compliance exercise — who see it as a bridge to capital — will lead the way.
Learn how the OceanPass Bankers Module can connect your fleet’s performance with tomorrow’s financing. Book your demo today.
From Carbon Cost to Commercial Insight
A global greenhouse gas levy is gaining support. The cost of every ton of CO₂ is about to be priced in. The winners will be those who turn carbon reporting into actionable intelligence — forecasting exposure, optimizing operations, and protecting commercial value.
For years, carbon in shipping has been treated as an externality — measured but not priced. That may soon change. In advance of the upcoming IMO negotiations, nearly 200 shipping companies have endorsed the introduction of a global greenhouse gas levy. If implemented, this would be the first time every ton of CO₂ emitted at sea carries a direct financial charge.
On the surface, a levy is simple: polluters pay. In practice, it raises a complex set of questions for owners, charterers, and financiers:
- How much will my fleet owe under different operating profiles?
- Which trades, vessels, or voyages expose me most to added costs?
- What operational adjustments could reduce my exposure?
Consider a single example: speed. A small increase of half a knot can lift fuel consumption by more than ten percent. In a world where carbon is priced, that seemingly minor adjustment is no longer just about impact to fuel cost. It directly changes your cost exposure under the levy. With the right intelligence, that decision can be anticipated, measured, and corrected in real time.
For the industry, this marks a shift. Compliance reporting alone will no longer suffice. Competitive advantage will come from turning reporting into foresight. Those who can forecast their carbon liabilities, optimize operations mid-voyage, and demonstrate cost control will be positioned to win contracts and attract financing.
At OceanPass, we see this as the future of emissions reporting: not just tallying emissions after the fact, but scanning the horizon to help you steer clear of hidden costs. Our platform is designed to give owners, charterers, and banks a full fleet overview, colour-coded insights, and scenario planning tools that turn carbon from a burden into a strategic lever.
The levy may not yet be finalized, but the signal is clear: carbon has a cost. Those who prepare now will protect commercial value tomorrow.
The transition is happening fast. Follow OceanPass on LinkedIn to discover insights, benchmarks, and tips that help turn compliance into competitive advantage.
From Reporting to Benchmarking: The Next Competitive Edge in Emissions Data
The market is moving from static, annual reports to real-time benchmarking. For bankers and charterers, this shift means better visibility into performance, risk, and opportunity.
VesselBot’s recently published Q2 2025 Efficiency Insights Report analyzed more than 72,000 voyages and nearly 5,000 vessels, comparing emissions intensity and operational performance across ship types and routes. The results highlight a clear trend: the industry is no longer satisfied with retrospective compliance reporting. Instead, it is moving toward continuous, comparative emissions intelligence.
This need is widely felt across the sector. Many charterers still rely on manual spreadsheets and annual compliance templates to collect emissions data. It is slow, inconsistent, and provides little value until the end of the year. What charterers and financiers increasingly want are earlier indicators and benchmarking tools that dig into the why behind a score — not just the letter grade.
For bankers, this matters because portfolio alignment and risk exposure are no longer theoretical. A single poorly performing vessel can distort the credibility of an entire portfolio. Benchmarking helps financiers see how individual ships contribute to overall climate alignment and enables them to price risk more accurately, meet disclosure requirements, and unlock green capital.
For charterers, benchmarking provides confidence that the vessels they contract are not just technically compliant, but operationally efficient. When five ships are available, the question is not only which one is compliant, but which one represents the best value. Efficiency and performance relative to benchmarks provide the answer. The ability to see beyond the rating — to the drivers behind it — informs better vessel selection and stronger commercial negotiations.
Owners are already familiar with tools like VesselBot, but until recently, bankers and charterers have had limited access to this type of continuous insight. That gap is closing. At OceanPass, we deliver the same kind of actionable comparisons, but tailored to your specific use cases:
- For financiers: portfolio-level transparency, validated against Poseidon Principles and ESG frameworks.
- For charterers: voyage-level benchmarking to inform contracting, reduce Scope 3 exposure, and ensure validated alignment with Sea Cargo Charter.
- For owners: a simple fleet-wide view with clear signals on when and where to take corrective action.
Benchmarking is fast becoming the next competitive edge in emissions data. The winners will not be those who merely report, but those who use emissions intelligence to anticipate risks and seize opportunities.
The Architect’s Log
Each month, OceanPass Chief Innovation Officer Michael Schmidt — naval architect, vessel designer, and member of the Sea Cargo Charter’s technical steering committee — shares a note from his desk. Blending technical precision with commercial insight, Michael reveals the signals shaping shipping’s decarbonisation journey and the innovations that can turn compliance into competitive advantage.
UK ETS Joins the Race: What Shipowners Need to Know
From July 2026, UK waters will fall under carbon trading. With in-port emissions included and MRV rules expanding, compliance complexity is rising. A single source of truth for emissions data can mean the difference between easy reporting and costly errors.
The UK government has confirmed that the UK Emissions Trad ing Scheme (ETS) will extend to maritime from 1 July 2026. This adds yet another layer of carbon pricing to a sector already navigating EU ETS, IMO DCS, and multiple MRV regimes.
- Threshold: Vessels of 5,000 GT and above.
- Coverage: UK domestic voyages, international voyages touching UK ports, and emissions at berth.
- Gases: CO₂ initially, with the option to expand to methane (CH₄) and nitrous oxide (N₂O).
- Verification: Full Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) compliance, with penalties for inaccurate data.
More fragmentation. Each regime asks for overlapping but not identical data sets, often in different formats. Reporting errors can easily creep in — from mismatched voyage definitions to double counting emissions — exposing companies to unnecessary costs, compliance risk, or reputational damage.
Most onboard systems today — whether for chartering, voyage accounting, or optimization — already collect emissions-related data. But they are not designed to reconcile the fragmented requirements of EU ETS, UK ETS, IMO DCS, and CII. That leaves owners exposed to duplication, errors, and compliance risk.
While operational platforms focus on daily performance and cost efficiency, OceanPass focuses only on emissions compliance — transforming fragmented requirements into one verified dataset that satisfies every regulator and stakeholder.The challenge is not just about compliance. It’s about efficiency. With multiple ETS regimes now converging, reporting will consume more time and resources unless handled in a streamlined way. OceanPass is built for this challenge, giving owners a single source of truth for emissions performance.
Consider in-port emissions. For the UK ETS, emissions at berth are explicitly in scope. That means idling, auxiliary engines, and delays alongside are no longer background noise — they are priced liabilities. With the right intelligence, these emissions can be measured continuously, flagged early, and reduced through operational adjustments.
The commercial implications are clear. Owners who can demonstrate accurate, verified reporting across all regimes will gain an advantage with charterers and financiers. Those who rely on manual, fragmented approaches will face higher costs and higher risk. As carbon pricing expands, emissions reporting shifts from a compliance exercise to a financial strategy. Owners who rely on fragmented systems risk overpaying. Owners who use OceanPass gain foresight — knowing where liabilities sit, and how to reduce them.
At OceanPass, we simplify the complexity. Our platform integrates all major indexes and reporting frameworks — from IMO DCS and CII to EU and UK ETS — into a single, color-coded overview. That means fewer errors, easier compliance, and insights you can act on to reduce both carbon and cost.
The UK ETS may be two years away, but preparation starts now. Companies that invest in robust emissions intelligence today will be positioned to meet 2026 with confidence.