FuelEU pooling: rules, prices and partners
A FuelEU deficit can be covered by a ship in surplus for far less than the penalty. Check a ship's balance and compare the penalty with pooling.
Updated 2026-10-20
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Why pooling matters
A FuelEU deficit paid as a penalty costs about €638 per tonne of CO₂e for a ship on heavy fuel oil. A ship with a surplus, from LNG, biofuel or wind assistance, can cover that deficit in a pool, and is usually paid far less than the penalty for it. For most deficit ships, pooling is the cheapest way to comply in the early years of the regulation.
The rules of a FuelEU pool (Article 21)
- Any number of ships, of the same company or of different companies, may form a pool for a reporting period.
- The pool's total compliance balance must not be negative.
- No ship in deficit may leave the pool with a larger deficit, and no ship in surplus may leave it in deficit.
- A ship may be in only one pool per reporting period, and the pool is registered in the FuelEU database by 30 April.
- The verifier records each ship's balance after pooling; the money between the companies is a private contract.
What a surplus is worth
Prices are agreed between the parties. The calculator below shows a ship's balance and compares the penalty with pooling at the price you enter. The pooling board shows ships offering a surplus or looking for one.
How CarbonKeel helps
We introduce a ship in deficit to one in surplus, check both balances and draft the pool agreement. We never hold the money. The fee is 5% of the pooled value, at least €500, paid by the buyer. See pricing.
Questions
What is FuelEU pooling?
Ships pool their compliance balances for a reporting period so that the pool as a whole complies. Ships in surplus cover ships in deficit, usually for a payment agreed between the companies.
When must a FuelEU pool be registered?
By 30 April of the year after the reporting period, in the FuelEU database, before the verifier records the balances.
Can ships of different companies pool?
Yes. Any ships under FuelEU, of any company, can form a pool.
What does a FuelEU surplus sell for?
It is agreed between the parties. It is usually well below the penalty, which is about €640 per tonne of CO₂e for a ship on heavy fuel oil.
Does CarbonKeel hold the money?
No. We introduce the ships and draft the agreement; the companies pay each other directly.
EU ETS, FuelEU, CII and UK ETS for each ship, from the public register or your own data, with the reports for owners, charterers and lenders.