We’re three months into FuelEU Maritime – and the biggest issue isn’t regulatory complexity, it’s commercial uncertainty.

Key Commercial Challenges Under FuelEU Maritime

Here are four key challenges:

1. Unresolved Charter Party Clauses: Without agreed clauses, strategies remain undefined. Owners and managers are stuck in limbo. Even invoicing charterers proactively might help accelerate dialogue in the context of FuelEU Maritime.
2. Polluter Pays Principle at Risk: Charterers resisting financial responsibility – due to misunderstanding or commercial pushback – risks setting dangerous precedents. The result? Higher premiums in future C/Ps.
3. Biofuels vs. Pooling: The current assumption: bunkering enough biofuel + internal pooling = cheapest option. But external pooling can be financially better depending on biofuel spreads, EUA prices, and pooling market dynamics. Understanding pooling is still a work in progress.
4. Continuous Complexity: FuelEU goes beyond EU ETS in complexity. With retroactive discounting, pricing volatility, and the need for constant recalibration, Excel is no longer enough.

And the challenge doesn’t stop here:

IMO MEPC83, UK ETS, and Turkish ETS are in motion. EU scope changes coming in 2026 and 2027. Global alignment or fragmentation? Nobody knows yet.

OceanScore’s Role

We combine scale, insights, and dedicated tooling to help shipping companies navigate and adapt. Our platforms and partners ensure you’re ready – not reactive.