FuelEU Maritime / EU ETS Calculator

Frequently asked questions

What is GHG intensity under FuelEU Maritime?

GHG intensity is the well-to-wake greenhouse gas emissions per unit of energy used on board a ship (gCO2eq/MJ), covering the fuel's full lifecycle rather than just combustion. FuelEU Maritime sets a maximum allowed GHG intensity that ratchets down over time; a ship's actual intensity is compared against that year's limit to determine its compliance balance.

How is the FuelEU compliance balance calculated?

The calculator compares a vessel's actual GHG intensity for a voyage against the regulatory limit for the selected year. A shortfall produces a compliance deficit (a monetary penalty under Article 23); exceeding the target produces a surplus, which can be banked under Article 20 or pooled under Article 21. This tool reports the balance as a single 'Compliance cost' figure, with the sign and status tag indicating which side of the target the result falls on. The underlying 'Balance' figure (tCO2eq) follows the regulation's own sign convention, as used in FuelEU DB: positive is a surplus, negative is a deficit.

What does "voyage" mean in this calculator?

Under the regulations, a "voyage" strictly means a ship's movement from one port call to the next; time spent at berth is tracked as a separate category. In this tool, each "Voyage" entry you add represents one such segment — either an at-sea movement (within the EU, or to/from the EU) or a period at berth — whichever you're currently entering fuel consumption for. Add up to 20 entries to build up a full reporting period, or combine several segments of the same type into one entry with their summed consumption — the calculation treats same-type entries identically either way.

What does "prioritised fuel allocation" mean in the FuelEU calculation?

Prioritisation changes how the eligible-energy pool is filled, and it works differently for a single voyage's result versus the aggregated (annual) total. On a per-voyage basis, it only matters for voyages on the "At sea – to/from EU (50% energy)" scenario, where only half of that voyage's energy counts toward compliance: by default (simple allocation), that 50% is taken proportionally from every fuel on the voyage, each contributing its share evenly; with prioritised allocation switched on (in Options), the voyage's eligible 50% is instead filled fuel-by-fuel in order of carbon intensity, cleanest first, until it's used up, so lower-carbon fuel preferentially counts toward the eligible share. On the aggregated (annual) result, prioritisation runs one waterfall across all voyages' combined fuel consumption at once, rather than summing each voyage's individually prioritised result.

Which voyages does prioritisation affect?

On a per-voyage basis, only "At sea – to/from EU" voyages — voyages at 100% eligible energy (within-EU or at-berth) have no partial pool to allocate within, so the toggle has no effect on their individual result. On the aggregated (annual) result, all voyages are affected: the waterfall pools every voyage's fuel consumption and eligible energy together, regardless of each voyage's own scenario.

How are fuels ranked for prioritisation?

By well-to-wake (WtW) GHG intensity, lowest first — shown as the Priority column in the fuel properties reference table.

Does the calculator support biofuels?

Yes — both biofuel (blended with a fossil base fuel) and bioLNG are selectable fuel types, alongside the fossil options and OPS.

Does the calculator support methanol?

Yes, fossil (grey) methanol made from natural gas, using the default values in Annex II of the FuelEU Regulation (EU) 2023/1805 for FuelEU and the "Methanol (fossil)" row of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/2776 for EU ETS. Its well-to-wake intensity works out at about 103.15 gCO2eq/MJ, higher than HFO's 91.74: it emits slightly less per MJ when burned, but the regulation's upstream (well-to-tank) value for producing it from natural gas is more than twice HFO's. Bio-methanol, e-methanol and ethanol are not yet supported — Annex II has no fossil ethanol row to take values from.

What assumption does the calculator make about biofuel/bioLNG?

For EU ETS specifically, all biofuel and bioLNG entered is assumed to be RED II-certified sustainable biofuel, so its CO2 factor is treated as zero for EUA purposes (methane and N2O still apply in full) — burning non-certified biofuel is out of scope for this tool. This is a deliberate simplifying assumption, not a physical fact. FuelEU's own GHG-intensity side doesn't use this zero-CO2 shortcut: biofuel and bioLNG each carry their own editable well-to-wake emission factor, defaulting to a representative non-zero value that reflects their real lifecycle emissions.

Can I adjust biofuel/bioLNG's properties?

Yes — selecting Biofuel and/or bioLNG in the "Vessel settings" panel reveals their own LCV and emission-factor fields, editable independently of the fossil fuel they're blended with.

How do I enter a blended fuel, e.g. B30 bio-MGO?

Enter the pure biofuel content and the fossil content as separate line items — the calculator has no single "blended fuel" field, it expects each component's actual mass. For 100mt of B30 bio-MGO (30% biofuel by mass), enter 30mt under Biofuel and 70mt under MGO.

Does this calculator also cover EU ETS costs?

Yes. Alongside FuelEU compliance, the calculator estimates EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) exposure for the same voyages — the number of EU Allowances (EUAs) their CO2, CH4, and N2O emissions require, and their cost at a configurable EUA price. Both regimes share the same voyage and fuel-mix inputs, so there's nothing extra to enter.

What EUA price does the calculator use?

A fixed default of €75 per EUA, which you can override in the tool's Options panel. This tool does not fetch a live or period-average market price automatically.

Which years and phase-in rules does this tool model?

2026 onward, at full (100%) phase-in. Earlier partial phase-in bands (2024–2025) are not modeled — the calculator is intended for forward-looking voyage planning under the regulation's steady-state rules, not historical reporting.

What does "Path to compliance" show?

It's a what-if suggestion, not a recommendation: it finds a single-fuel swap — energy-for-energy — that could reduce or zero out your FuelEU compliance deficit, then reports the resulting FuelEU saving, EU ETS cost impact, and net fuel cost of making that swap.

How does "Path to compliance" pick which fuel to displace and which to bring in?

The displaced fuel is chosen automatically — not simply the highest-GHGI fuel in the mix, but whichever fuel could remove the most emissions if fully displaced (its GHG intensity above the replacement's, multiplied by how much of it is actually burned), up to its full current consumption; it doesn't cascade into a second fuel if that's not enough on its own. The replacement fuel defaults to the lowest-GHGI fuel type that could zero the balance, but you can pick a different one from the dropdown in the "Vessel settings" panel, limited to fuels that are actually capable of doing so.

Can I change the prices "Path to compliance" uses?

Yes — both the replacement and displaced fuel prices (USD per tonne) are editable fields next to the fuel dropdown, pre-filled from the same reference price table used elsewhere in the tool. Changing either only affects the swap's fuel-cost line, not the FuelEU or EU ETS figures.

Can I calculate a FuelEU pool across several vessels?

Yes, on the separate fleet pooling page (switch to "Fleet pooling" at the top of this page). It checks whether a pool meets the Article 21 conditions, mixing vessels entered with full voyage data and vessels entered with just the balance their verifier recorded, and prices the options for closing a shortfall.

Is this tool free to use?

Yes, no account or login is required to run a calculation.

This page is provided for planning and orientation purposes and is not legal or regulatory advice. Always confirm figures against the current FuelEU Maritime Regulation (EU 2023/1805) and EU ETS maritime provisions (Directive 2003/87/EC as amended) before relying on them for compliance reporting.