OceanScore is announcing the launch of the OceanScore Pool-Price Index (OPX), the maritime industry’s most comprehensive benchmark for tracking FuelEU pooling prices.
Published monthly, the OPX reflects the average cost of compliance surplus in euro per ton of CO2e, and serves as a benchmark for comparing individual surplus offers, assessing biofuel-based compliance and for negotiating compensations in Charter Party and SHIPMAN agreements/ The index addresses market transparency gaps by providing volume-weighted pricing data, backed by the largest FuelEU management client base in the industry, reflecting real offers, actual deal sizes, and the market dynamics taking place each day.
Addressing Market-Wide Transparency Challenges
The FuelEU Maritime regulation, which entered into force in 2025, has created a growing market for pooling compliance surpluses in order to avoid paying penalties. However, unlike established commodity markets, FuelEU pooling transactions are entirely new, and are occurring mostly through bilateral negotiations with limited market visibility, creating significant challenges for market participants.
“The lack of transparent pricing benchmarks has been one of the biggest obstacles to efficient FuelEU compliance,” said Albrecht Grell, Managing Director at OceanScore. “Companies have been making million-dollar compliance decisions based on incomplete market information. OPX changes that fundamentally.”
Science Based Volume-Weighted Methodology
OPX employs a basket-based methodology similar to inflation calculations, ensuring the index accurately reflects the pricing that buyers actually encounter in the market:
- Small volume transactions (70% weighting): up to 1,499 tonnes CO2e
- Medium volume transactions (20% weighting): 1,500-2,999 tonnes CO2e
- Large volume transactions (10% weighting): above 3,000tonnes CO2e
“Simple averages can be misleading when transaction sizes vary significantly,” explained Albrecht Grell, Managing Director. “Our volume-weighted approach ensures OPX reflects real industry rations, not just arithmetic means that may not represent typical deal sizes.”
Albrecht Grell, Managing Director, OceanScore. (Image credit: OceanScore)
Industry-Leading Transparency and Accuracy
Unlike other pricing indexes in the market, OPX is directly linked to OceanScore’s FuelEU Pooling Marketplace, combining transparency and credibility:
- Pooling advantage: OceanScore’s FuelEU Pooling Marketplace gives shipping companies flexibility, and transparency – and through competing offers, ultimately drives prices down.
- OPX benchmark: The only published, volume-adjusted FuelEU index, providing a valuable benchmark for pooling and other compliance decisions.
- Transparency: Methodology is fully open and public, creating trust when comparing pooling against biofuels or using it as a benchmark in charter-party or shipman negotiations.
- Independence: No transaction commissions or hidden margins influence the underlying prices; the index is unbiased and reflects true market dynamics.
- Credibility: Supported and trusted by leading global players, including MSC, Anglo-Eastern, V-Ships, IINO Lines, Nordic Shipping, and Döhle Group.
OceanScore’s FuelEU Pooling Marketplace and OPX work together to give the shipping industry a trusted foundation for FuelEU compliance decisions.
Strong Industry Backing
The OPX is supported by leading global shipping companies including MSC, Anglo-Eastern, V-Ships, IINO Lines, Nordic Shipping, and Döhle Group, lending it significant credibility.
Broad Market Applications
Industry experts expect OPX to become a central benchmark across maritime compliance, supporting:
- Financial planning – clearer cost forecasting
- Compliance planning – comparing compliance options like pooling vs. paying penalties or burning biofuels
- Charter party settlements and SHIPMAN agreements – a fair reference point for transparent cost sharing between owners and charterers
- Strategic purchasing – guidance on when to enter the pooling market (before April deadlines)
Market Impact and Future Development
With FuelEU Maritime penalties set at €640 per tonne CO2 equivalent, the pooling market represents a multi-million-euro compliance mechanism. Current pooling prices tracked by OPX are running significantly below penalty levels, offering substantial cost savings for compliant shipping operations.
“We’re seeing tremendous interest from ship managers, owners, and charterers who need reliable market intelligence,” noted Albrecht Grell.”OPX provides the foundation for more sophisticated compliance strategies and better strategic purchasing decisions.”
OceanScore plans to expand OPX coverage and introduce additional maritime compliance benchmarks as regulatory markets develop.
