ICCT has proposed a common standard for fuels used on green shipping corridors. Under the plan, a fuel would only qualify as ultra-low-carbon if it cuts emissions by at least 90% against conventional fuels, measured well-to-wake in CO2-equivalent terms. That means counting emissions from production through combustion on board. The proposal leans on life-cycle accounting methods from California's Low Carbon Fuel Standard. It would exclude fuels that claim credit for methane avoided elsewhere, such as manure-based fuels, and would stop electricity-based fuels from pulling grid power in ways that raise power sector emissions. Wind assistance would earn credit because it directly cuts fuel burn. ICCT built the proposal around a possible US West Coast route. The definition is ambitious but the group says it is technically achievable. The standard could give project developers and regulators a clearer benchmark for what counts as low-carbon shipping.
