MacGregor rolls out digital carbon calculator for container shipping emission estimates

MacGregor, part of Cargotec, has released a ‘free’ digital carbon calculator designed to help container shipping companies estimate the carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions they could cut down on.

As disclosed, the new calculator enables users to enter vessel details, the existing container cargo system and any changes with this particular tool implemented, as well as the operational details of a voyage.

Once the information is inputted, MacGregor explained, the carbon calculator estimates the impact of upgrading in terms of CO₂ reduction percentage per twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU), savings in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) payments, and fuel costs.

“Maximising cargo intake will always be one of the key drivers of container ship efficiency. Doing so not only increases vessel earnings but also cuts fuel consumption per cargo tonnage carried, thereby minimizing greenhouse gas emissions and associated emissions taxes such as ETS payments,” Magnus Sjöberg, Senior Vice President, Equipment Solutions Division, MacGregor, emphasized.

As explained, the calculator helps shipping companies estimate the carbon dioxide emissions they can eliminate by upgrading their onboard container cargo system with MacGregor’s solution Cargo Boost.

The company’s Cargo Boost tool is believed to have the potential to increase average cargo system use from conventional rates of 80-90%—or even 100%. Across a 10-vessel fleet, MacGregor has highlighted that this solution could increase capacity by the equivalent of ‘as much as an additional ship’.

This year saw the release of several carbon calculator solutions. In March, the first publically available FuelEU Maritime calculator was released by Germany-based digital CO₂ management solutions provider zero44 to help companies gear up for the upcoming FuelEU Maritime regulation, set to enter force in January 2025.

The company then indicated that the results would be an approximation and not binding. Nonetheless, they should provide a ‘good initial basis’ for dealing with the costs and cost factors of the regulation, zero44 had shared.

More recently, in August, British initiative Ship Green launched an ‘industry-first’ carbon calculator for tracking shipping emissions.

As informed, this solution—described as a ‘cost-effective peer-to-peer networking group’—allows agents to integrate the calculator into their software, quotations, invoices, and websites to track their carbon outputs and offset them against environmental conservation programs.