Swedish forest products group SCA has joined Gasum’s FuelEU Maritime pooling service to reduce its transport emissions and ensure compliance with the European Union’s regulation designed to incentivise the use of renewable and low-carbon fuels the maritime sector. SCA is Europe’s largest private forest owner and is focused on the sustainable production of timber, pulp, and packaging paper.
FuelEU Maritime, which entered into force in January 2025, requires ships calling at EU ports to progressively reduce the lifecycle greenhouse gas (GHG) intensity of the energy they use. The regulation sets a 2% reduction target compared to a 2020 baseline in 2025, increasing incrementally to an 80% reduction by 2050.
The targets apply on a well-to-wake basis, which accounts for both upstream and onboard emissions. This allows operators to pool emissions across vessels or through external compliance providers, such as Gasum, which enables surplus reductions from over-performing ships to offset under-compliance elsewhere.
Gasum’s pooling model is built around the use of waste-based liquefied biomethane (bio-LNG) that is supplied to designated dual-fuel vessels. This fuel has an estimated lifecycle greenhouse gas (GHG) footprint that is 90% lower than that of conventional marine fuels. Participating vessels generate surplus compliance credits, which Gasum allocates to its pooling customers.
The company has partnered with DNV to monitor, validate, and certify emissions data in accordance with EU stipulations. DNV’s Emissions Connect platform is used to collect and validate real-time fuel consumption and emissions data from participating vessels. Data capture is facilitated by a compact onboard device that is designed for ease of installation.
At the end of the year, DNV conducts an independent audit of the pool’s compliance status in accordance with FuelEU Maritime reporting requirements. The scope of DNV’s verification is limited to the pooled service and operators are free to use their preferred verifiers for individual vessel compliance.
SCA operates three roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) vessels that transport the group’s wood-based products to European markets. Gasum has stated that transportation is its primary remaining source of fossil emissions, and it has committed to reducing total fossil emissions by 50% by 2030 (using 2019 as the base year).
‘We are very pleased that SCA has chosen to join Gasum’s FuelEU Maritime pool,’ said Jacob Granqvist, Vice President, Maritime at Gasum. ‘Pooling represents an opportunity to collectively reduce carbon emissions in maritime transport through joint efforts. It’s great that Gasum is able to support SCA’s sustainability goals by offering a straightforward emissions reduction service that contributes to building fossil-free value chains.’
SCA’s climate strategy includes improving carbon sequestration through forest management, promoting long-term carbon storage in wood-based products, and substituting renewable materials for fossil-based alternatives. The company has cited the reliability and auditability of Gasum’s system as a key factor in its partnership decision.
