… what the difference is between MRV and DCS?

Ocean shipping is investigating more climate-friendly alternatives to bunker fuel. Stricter regulations on harmful emissions are being introduced. Monitoring the CO₂ emissions and fuel consumption data of ocean-going vessels is another important step forward in tackling man-made climate change. That is where MRV and DCS come in.

Measuring, Reporting and Verification (MRV)

 Since 1 January 2018, the EU has required commercial vessels over 5,000 BRT to measure and report their CO₂ emissions on any voyage to an EU port or voyages between EU ports. The monitoring of the emission data is undertaken by a verifying authority, which issues an annual certificate of conformity that must be kept on board ship.

IMO Data Collection System (DCS)

On 1 January 2019, the IMO introduced its Data Collection System to monitor how much bunker fuel ocean-going ships over 5,000 BRT (including big fishing boats and offshore installation vessels) are burning. Ship operators or owners are required to report this fuel data to a recognised classification society for inclusion in its survey report and recording in the IMO database. Here, too, a statement of compliance is issued for each vessel.

Besides the environmental significance of MRV and DCS data, these data collection requirements are operationally important, particularly for ships sailing to and from EU ports. Our vista® next ship automation system can visualise MRV and DCS data as a function of our user-friendly situation awareness solution. Before long, we will be adding an optional performance monitoring function to vista® next.