1. Following the European Green Deal[1] and obligations set out in the EU Climate Law[2], concrete legislative proposals have been adopted to support the decarbonisation of the maritime transport sector. This ‘basket of measures’ includes the extension of the EU Emission Trading System[3] (ETS) to maritime transport, the FuelEU Maritime Regulation[4] to boost the demand for renewable and low-carbon fuels while encouraging zero-emission technology at berth, and the Alternative Fuel Infrastructure Regulation[5], which introduces mandatory targets for shore-side electricity supply at ports. This new legislative framework will promote improvements in ships’ energy efficiency and the deployment of renewable and low-carbon fuels, notably supporting innovation through reward mechanisms for early movers and through the Innovation Fund.
2. The application of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technologies on-board ships is currently in its early stages. Yet, the EU ETS Directive[6] has specific provisions with regard to the use of carbon capture technologies, which will also apply to shipping companies. In practice, companies do not have to surrender allowances for the carbon dioxide (CO2) if it is captured and transferred to an installation in a storage site in accordance with the CCS Directive[7] or it gets permanently chemically bound in a product so that it does not enter the atmosphere. The Innovation Fund could also support projects on carbon capture and utilisation that contribute substantially to mitigating climate change, and projects aimed at the environmentally safe capture, transport and geological storage of CO2. The revision of the FuelEU Maritime Regulation foreseen for 2028 will include assessment of a possible integration of CCS.
[1] https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/priorities-2019-2024/european-green-deal_en[2] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/EN/legal-content/summary/european-climate-law.html[3] https://climate.ec.europa.eu/eu-action/eu-emissions-trading-system-eu-ets_en[4] Regulation (EU) 2023/1805 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 September 2023 on the use of renewable and low-carbon fuels in maritime transport, and amending Directive 2009/16/EC, OJ L 234, 22.9.2023, p. 48-100.[5] Regulation (EU) 2023/1804 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 September 2023 on the deployment of alternative fuels infrastructure, and repealing Directive 2014/94/EU, OJ L 234, 22.9.2023, p. 1-47.[6] Directive 2003/87/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 October 2003 establishing a scheme for greenhouse gas emission allowance trading within the Community and amending Council Directive 96/61/EC, OJ L 275, 25.10.2003, p. 32-46.[7] Directive 2009/31/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 April 2009 on the geological storage