The signing ceremony of the Carbon Footprint Verification Pilot Agreement of Ship Repairing takes place in Shanghai. [Photo/WeChat account: liuhengfabu]

A Zhoushan enterprise has signed the country's first cooperation agreement on carbon footprint verification for ship repair, marking a new step toward standardized carbon management in the sector.

Cosco Shipping Heavy Industry (Zhoushan) and the Zhejiang branch of China Classification Society recently signed the Carbon Footprint Verification Pilot Agreement of Ship Repairing, establishing a technical and institutional framework for carbon footprint accounting and verification in ship repair. The agreement clarifies standardized methods for calculating and verifying emissions during ship repair processes and addresses a gap in international standards.

Under the agreement, Cosco Shipping Heavy Industry (Zhoushan) will serve as a pilot site, with selected vessels from Cosco Shipping Group undergoing the country's first carbon footprint certification trials for ship repair. The initiative is designed to establish a comprehensive pathway covering standard formulation, onsite validation, and broader industry application, providing a practical basis for developing carbon footprint management norms that are widely accepted across the sector.

As emissions reduction requirements and international maritime decarbonization strategies continue to advance, ship repair has become a key link in managing carbon emissions across a vessel's full life cycle. The partnership is expected to provide a reference model for transparent, verifiable carbon accounting and certification in ship repair, supporting long-term sustainability across the industry.