NORDEN has become the first maritime carrier to deliver verified emissions reductions through the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB) Book & Claim registry, following a landmark pilot with Microsoft. The initiative allows corporations to immediately purchase and account for sustainable fuel attributes without needing low-carbon bunkers physically present on their specific cargo voyages. By extending RSB’s framework to shipping, this collaboration establishes a scalable, verified model to accelerate supply chain decarbonization across the global maritime industry.
Copenhagen, Denmark | September 2, 2026 – In a milestone agreement for maritime decarbonization, NORDEN has become the first maritime carrier to deliver verified emissions reductions through the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB) Book & Claim registry, in a landmark pilot completed in collaboration with Microsoft.
The transaction marks the first time a shipping operator has successfully issued and delivered verified maritime emissions reductions using the RSB Book & Claim framework. The system allows companies to immediately reduce and account for their shipping emissions without waiting for sustainable marine fuels to be physically bunkered on their specific voyages.
Bridging the Gap in Supply Chain Decarbonization
Book & Claim mechanisms allow cargo owners and corporations to purchase verified environmental attributes linked to sustainable fuels, regardless of where those low-carbon fuels are physically consumed within the global network.
While the registry has an established track record in aviation, this pilot officially extends the RSB Book & Claim framework to maritime transport for the first time. To make the transaction possible, NORDEN achieved a world-first by becoming the initial maritime operator to secure RSB Book & Claim trader certification, a mandatory prerequisite for issuing and selling verified reductions via the platform.
“For many companies, some of the most difficult emissions to address are those embedded deep within global supply chains, where they often have little visibility or direct influence over how goods are transported,” said Anne Jensen, COO at NORDEN. “This transaction demonstrates how Book & Claim can help bridge that gap. By enabling companies to invest in verified emissions reductions from maritime transport, regardless of where the fuel is used or where they sit in the value chain, we can help accelerate decarbonisation across industries.”
Microsoft Takes the Global Lead
As part of its aggressive corporate strategy to tackle hard-to-abate value chain emissions, Microsoft signed on as the first company globally to leverage the RSB registry for shipping emissions.
“Decarbonising supply chains requires solutions that are both credible and scalable,” noted Bella Horstmann, Senior Manager, Market Development at Microsoft. “This collaboration with NORDEN and RSB shows how Book & Claim can help accelerate progress in sectors where change is otherwise complex and demonstrates that companies don’t need to wait to start reducing their shipping emissions in a verified and meaningful way.”
Scaling for the Wider Maritime Industry
Following this successful proof-of-concept, the RSB will officially update its Procedure for Book and Claim Chain of Custody to facilitate wider commercial adoption across the global maritime sector.
“Developing market-enabling tools for decarbonisation across hard-to-abate sectors is a priority for RSB, and extending the RSB Book & Claim framework to maritime transport is a direct response to that goal,” stated Max Eichelbaum, Director – Digitisation and Book & Claim at RSB. “NORDEN’s certification is exactly the kind of collaboration that will open this solution to the wider shipping industry.”
NORDEN plans to continue partnering with direct customers and maritime stakeholders to scale the solution, with the ultimate goal of establishing verified emissions reductions as a standard, accessible offering in global ocean transport.
The Power of Partnership: Behind the NORDEN, Microsoft, and RSB Milestone
This landmark world-first initiative was made possible through a strategic, three-way collaboration that bridged the gap between maritime transport operations, corporate cargo ownership, and sustainability standard-setting.
Each partner played a critical, distinct role in bringing the RSB Book & Claim maritime framework to life:
- NORDEN (The Maritime Carrier): As a global leader in ocean-based freight and bulk transport, NORDEN provided the operational foundation. By becoming the first maritime operator to secure RSB Book & Claim trader certification, NORDEN integrated certified waste-based biofuels into its active voyages and managed the complex, double-audited registry backend to issue verifiable carbon credits.
- Microsoft (The Corporate Cargo Owner): As the pilot’s launch customer, Microsoft acted as the global pioneer, becoming the first company to utilize the RSB registry for shipping emissions. By participating, Microsoft demonstrated how major multinational tech giants can tackle complex Scope 3 supply chain emissions without waiting for universal zero-emission physical bunkering infrastructure.
- Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials – RSB (The Standards & Governance Body): RSB provided the rigorous administrative and structural framework. By extending its proven, trusted aviation Book & Claim architecture to cover maritime transport, RSB ensured the transparency, traceability, and prevention of double-counting necessary to set an official compliance benchmark for the wider shipping industry.
Source: NORDEN