As of 11 June 2025, UPM and Spliethoff company Bore have joined Ahti Pool. Ahti Pool’s FuelEU Maritime-compliant pooling model offers a solution for shipping operators to use and trade ultra-low-carbon fuels like e-methanol or bio-LNG, and to pool compliance for the rest of their fleet.
UPM is a global material solutions company. Bore is part of Dutch shipping company Spliethoff Group.
The pooling model allows Ahti Pool’s members to buy and sell credits for the use of sustainable fuels, thereby reducing CO2 emissions, cutting costs, and increasing operational flexibility.
Also read: Van Weelde Shipping Group plans to join Ahti Pool
FuelEU
The FuelEU Maritime regulation came into force on January 1, 2025, with the goal of increasing the share of renewable and low-carbon fuels in the fuel mix of international maritime transport within the EU. In essence, the regulation imposes higher costs on companies that continue to remain reliant on conventional fossil fuels, thereby incentivising a shift toward cleaner alternatives.
Under FuelEU Maritime each marine fuel has a well-to-wake greenhouse gas intensity, expressed in grammes of CO2 equivalent per megajoule (gCO2e/MJ). Fuels that achieve emissions below the threshold generate a surplus of compliance, while those exceeding it incur deficits of compliance and must pay penalties or purchase compliance credits from those in surplus. Because of its low lifecycle CO2 emissions, bio-LNG can generate substantial surplus for ship operators who use it.
Also read: Ahti: Pooling creates huge FuelEU Maritime benefits
Dual-fuelled vessels on bio-LNG
Since 2019, the Spliethoff Group and UPM have maintained a long-term charter agreement, which includes the deployment of dual-fuelled vessels by Bore Ltd – member of the Spliethoff Group – for UPM. These vessels can run on both bio-LNG and conventional marine fuels. As a member of Ahti Pool, all three of Bore’s ships will use bio-LNG and add their compliance into the pool.
‘By welcoming UPM, we are not only expanding our network with highly recognised partners, but also enabling UPM to achieve near net-zero carbon maritime transport on the routes where Bore’s ships operate at a competitive cost level,’ says Risto-Juhani Kariranta, CEO of Ahti Pool.
Also read: FuelEU penalties will hit these ship segments hardest
Reducing CO2 emissions by up to 16,000 tonnes
Jukka Hölsä, VP of Logistics at UPM: ‘We are pleased to join Ahti Pool. Their innovative pooling model enables us to reduce the CO2 emissions of our supply chain and comply with FuelEU Maritime. We can now deliver our products with Bore’s ships across Europe with increased efficiency, almost zero carbon, and very competitive prices for our clients. We estimate that we can reduce CO2e emissions by up to 16,000 tonnes annually through this cooperation.’
‘The strategic partnership between UPM and Spliethoff Group companies has a long history which is built on strong commitment to sustainable shipping solutions. Cooperating with Ahti Pool aligns perfectly with our long-standing commitment to environmental stewardship,’ remarks Michael van den Heuvel, CCO of Spliethoff.
‘Having UPM and Bore on board as new members significantly enhances Ahti Pool’s capacity to enable seamless compliance for all its members, as well as establishing a stable foundation for conformity with the IMO’s Net Zero Framework,’ Kariranta explains. ‘The companies complement our shipowner pool, which includes Neste’s tanker fleet and Van Weelde Group’s handysize and ultramax fleet, as well as partners such as NAPA, Carbonex, and New Asia Shipbrokers.’
Picture by Bore.
