Schulte Group launches new firm for ship emissions management

Germany’s maritime solutions provider Schulte Group has established Ocean Opt, a new company that will serve as a one-stop solution for emissions management for ship managers, owners and charterers.

According to Schulte Group, Ocean Opt underscores the group’s commitment to sustainability and innovation. The new entity has been launched as the pressure on the maritime industry increases to demonstrate measurable progress toward climate neutrality.

Following the introduction of the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) rating scheme and Energy Efficiency Existing Ship Index (EEXI) in 2023, effective this year, the shipping industry has been included in the European Union’s emissions trading system (EU ETS), which will have a major financial impact on shipping from 2025.

While the industry is still busy adjusting to EU ETS, the next challenge is already on the horizon with FuelEU Maritime. In preparation for this new EU regulation, the monitoring plans for ships calling the EU must be submitted to authorized verifiers by the end of August.

The new company offers independent consultancy, data management and platform-based services tailored for fleet performance optimization, emission trading systems and regulatory compliance including the upcoming FuelEU Maritime regulation.

“Efforts to decarbonise the shipping industry keep intensifying. Within the Schulte Group, we have over 300 vessels under contract for performance optimisation. In addition, we already had 200 vessels under EU ETS subscription before the 2024 implementation of the EU ETS directive and we see more and more requests coming in from the market. This is why Ocean Opt has been established. Our aim is to offer our services to a broader client base, including for example ship owners who do their ship management inhouse,” Ian Beveridge, CEO of the Schulte Group, commented.

“Decarbonising the shipping industry is here to stay and rightly so. Building on our team’s expertise, Ocean Opt’s focus lies on empowering our clients to navigate the complexities of emissions tracking, reduction and compliance with ease,” Anil Jacob, Managing Director of Ocean Opt, said.