ClassNK launches first shipbuilding emissions notation for Scope 3 carbon footprint verification

ClassNK has introduced what it calls the world's first notation for measuring greenhouse gas emissions from ship construction. The new a-EA (CFP) notation allows shipyards to calculate and have third-party verified the carbon footprint of building a vessel. This helps owners and operators report more accurate Scope 3 emissions data, specifically Category 2 capital goods, rather than relying on default emission factors that may not reflect actual use of lower-carbon materials or yard-level efficiency measures. The notation is part of ClassNK's Environmental Guidelines Edition 4.2. It aims to give shipyards a way to prove their construction-related carbon footprint is independently verified. For shipowners and cargo interests under pressure to disclose supply chain emissions, this could mean more precise data for Scope 3 reporting. The move also encourages wider recognition of decarbonisation steps taken during vessel construction, which have been hard to quantify until now.