[091219.EN.BIZ] Ex-Maersk Men of Sea Intelligence Blast Other Lines' C02 Calculators

SHIPPERS are being misled by container shipping lines if they put any credit in CO2 calculators provided by carriers, say Copenhagen analysts of Sea-Intelligence, reports Singapore's Splash 247.

Ten of the top 15 carriers provide an online CO2 calculator, but they have been branded "useless" in a new report from Sea-Intelligence, a company led by three former Maersk market intelligence officers.

"None can be validated," said the Sea-Intelligence report. "They are riddled with absurdly poor data quality, sailing distances from China to New York range from 878 kilometres to 1.5 times around the world. One CO2 calculator has not been updated in at least 2.5 years. Avoid them all!"

According to Hong Kong's OOCL's CO2 calculator, moving 100 TEU (dry, not reefer) from Shanghai to New York, on the service the Hong Kong liner markets as the EXC2 service, would lead to 96.84 tons of CO2 being emitted, over a sailing distance of 21,665 kilometres.

CMA CGM, meanwhile, is able to move the 100 TEU, also from Shanghai to New York, over a nine per cent shorter sailing distance of just 19,721 kilometres on their Manhattan Bridge service, emitting just 56.80 tons of CO2, a massive 41.3 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions.

"What makes this feat even more incredible, is that they are the exact same services! Same vessels! Same rotation! With everything exactly identical, the only difference would be the paint on the container," said Sea-Intelligence.

The research into all 10 online tools showed even greater discrepancies. Cosco, the parent company of OOCL, offers the AWE2 service, which is the exact same service, with stated CO2 emissions of just 22.36 tons, a "staggering" 76.9 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions.

The Chinese carrier also appears to have had different geography lessons to others, claiming the sailing distance from Shanghai to New York is just 878 kilometres, roughly the same as driving from Hamburg to Paris. Another carrier believes the distance between these two financial hubs is 62,469 kilometres, equivalent to one and half trips around the world.

Source : HKSG.