Who counts the tugboat fuel when our ship berths at a port?
The tug operator burns the fuel, so it is their Scope 1. For a shipping line it is a bought service, Scope 3. For an exporter it usually sits inside the freight emissions your carrier or forwarder reports. Count it once, at the level of the freight figure.
Who reports it
- Tug owner: Scope 1, from the diesel it burns.
- Port that runs its own tugs: Scope 1.
- Shipping line hiring tugs: Scope 3 purchased services.
- Exporter: inside the sea freight figure, not a separate line.
Avoid double counting
If your forwarder's report already uses a well-to-wake figure per container, do not add port services again on top.
What Senseible does here
Senseible reads bills, fuel invoices and production records into dated, fingerprinted records, so the figure you send a buyer can be traced to its documents.
Sources: GHG Protocol Corporate Standard, Smart Freight Centre, GLEC Framework
Last reviewed 2026-10-22.