European shipowners, ports, the cruise industry, shipyards and equipment manufacturers, fuel suppliers, shippers, freight forwarders and port operators join forces and call on Member States and the European Parliament to earmark the proceeds from the integration of the shipping industry into the ETS for the maritime sector .
Earned revenue should aim to reduce the price differential with clean fuels, fund R&D and innovation, and the expansion and deployment of clean energy and technologies onboard and onshore. Investments in port infrastructure, grid connection, energy storage and deployment of renewable energy should also be supported. After all, supporting the training, upskilling and reskilling of seafarers is key to achieving the EU climate targets.
“Today, the maritime industry speaks with one voice and calls on the Member States and the Council to earmark the ETS revenues and support the energy transition of the maritime sector. 80% of the current ETS revenues are already being used for the energy transition of the ETS sectors. The Council and Parliament have already earmarked the revenue for aviation as part of the current ETS revision. The maritime industry must be put on an equal footing, bearing in mind that our sector is one of the most difficult to decarbonize,” says Sotiris Raptis, Secretary General of ECSA.
“The greening of the shipping sector requires huge investments both on board ships and in ports, while the return on investment for port authorities is low and uncertain. The establishment of a dedicated fund to support the development of low-carbon and zero-carbon fuels infrastructure, both onboard and onshore, is therefore crucial to achieve the goals for which the EU ETS was designed,” says Isabelle Ryckbost, Secretary General by ESPO.
“The cruise sector is making huge investments in new technologies to reduce its carbon footprint. A dedicated fund from ETS proceeds will accelerate industry efforts to adopt sustainable marine fuels and support the deployment of the necessary port infrastructure. It is an important example of how the public and private sectors can help each other to achieve a zero-carbon future and we call on the European institutions to support the establishment of the fund,” says Marie-Caroline Laurent, Director General for Europe . CLIA.
“Europe’s maritime technology industry develops the most advanced ships and technologies on the market. The earmarking of EU ETS revenues will be crucial as it accelerates innovation and expands the uptake of more sustainable fuels and technologies, and also strengthens Europe’s leadership. Europe’s maritime technology industry is ready to play its part,” says Christophe Tytgat, Secretary General of SEA Europe.
“CLECAT supports market-based measures such as ETS, which would help reduce the price gap between cleaner and conventional fuels while respecting the polluter pays principle. A fair share of the revenues from the auctioning of maritime ETS allowances should be earmarked and reinvested in the sector via investments in cleaner technologies and R&D projects to accelerate the market uptake of greener and more sustainable solutions in maritime transport,” adds Nicolette van der Add Jagt, General Manager of CLECAT.
“Renewable and low-carbon liquid fuels are key to decarbonizing shipping. However, it is well known that the cost of doing so is higher than that of fossil fuels. Allocating ETS proceeds to a specific maritime fund would greatly help bring more renewable fuels to market as well as accelerate the commercialization of emerging technologies,” said Angel Alvarez Alberdi, Secretary General of EWABA.
“The Advanced Biofuels Coalition welcomes the continued increase in the use of advanced biofuels in the maritime sector. However, further action is needed to increase the availability of low-carbon and zero-carbon fuels such as advanced biofuels. Allocating EU ETS funds to innovation in the maritime sector would send a strong signal to the investment community,” adds Marko Janhunen, Chair of the Advanced Biofuels Coalition LSB and Public Affairs Director at UPM.
“Maritime transport is the backbone of Europe’s economy and is invaluable to the Union’s internal and external trade. In order to enable sustainable trade, it is therefore all the more important to support the transition of this sector away from fossil fuels towards climate-neutral options such as eFuels through revenues from emissions trading. Such financial support from the EU ETS also enables a more ambitious FuelEU Maritime with sub-quotas for eFuels and offers investment security for eFuel providers,” says Ralf Diemer, Managing Director of the eFuel Alliance.
“The fund should support the decarbonisation of the sector while maintaining its competitiveness compared to third countries with less ambitious climate policies. Investments in green port equipment and fueling and charging infrastructure, for example, could help port stakeholders to withstand competitive pressure from non-EU neighboring countries that do not apply emissions trading to the maritime sector, while supporting the decarbonisation of the maritime sector and transport sectors in general,” explains Lamia Kerdjoudj , FEPORT Secretary General.
“It is important for shippers to reduce the carbon footprint of ships and create the conditions to make maritime transport more sustainable. Earmarking ETS revenue to support the decarbonisation of the shipping sector will allow international trade to continue,” concludes Godfried Smit, Secretary General of the ESC.
ECSA represents 19 national shipowners’ associations based in the EU and Norway. European shipowners control 39.5% of the world’s merchant fleet, contribute €149 billion to the EU’s GDP every year and offer 2 million Europeans careers on board and ashore.
The Advanced Biofuels Coalition, LSB, is a coalition of leading developers and manufacturers of advanced biofuels technologies committed to making a significant contribution to meeting the EU’s ambitions to decarbonise the transport sector. Advanced biofuels bring multiple benefits in terms of CO2 reduction, investment, revenue for farmers and forest owners, improved waste management practices, job creation and increased energy security. LSB represents 11 companies from 8 countries.
CLECAT represents 24 national freight forwarding and logistics associations and through them the majority of freight forwarders and logistics service providers in Europe, including large, but also many small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
The Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) is the world’s largest trade association for the cruise industry and provides the industry with a unified voice as the leading authority on the global cruise community. On behalf of its members, affiliates and partners, the organization supports policies and practices that promote a safe, healthy and sustainable environment for cruise ships and promote positive travel experiences for the more than 30 million passengers that cruise annually. The CLIA community includes the most prestigious ocean, river and specialty cruise lines in the world; a highly qualified and certified travel agency community; and a widespread network of stakeholders including ports and destinations, ship development, suppliers and business services.
The European Network of Maritime Clusters (ENMC) is a cooperation between European national maritime cluster associations. The main task of ENMC is to create an efficient framework for cooperation in the maritime sector.
The eFuel Alliance is a stakeholder initiative dedicated to promoting political and societal acceptance of eFuels and their regulatory approval. The eFuel Alliance represents more than 180 companies, associations and consumer organizations along the eFuel production value chain. She is committed to more climate protection and strives for a broader recognition of the important contribution of eFuels in the pursuit of sustainability and climate protection.
The European Shippers’ Council (ESC) represents the interests of more than 75,000 cargo owners in the European Union, both SMEs and large multinationals. For all of them, transport is an indispensable link to their customers. Efficient and sustainable transport and logistics are crucial for the competitiveness of European industry and socio-economic prosperity.
The European Sea Ports Organization (ESPO) is the most important interface between the European seaports and the European institutions and their political decision-makers. ESPO was founded in 1993 and represents the port authorities, port associations and port administrations of the seaports of 22 Member States of the European Union and Norway at EU political level. ESPO also has six observer members: Albania, Iceland, Israel, Montenegro, Ukraine and the United Kingdom. As the first port of call for European transport policymakers in Brussels, ESPO is a knowledge network that empowers ports to perform better. In the context of environmental management, ESPO coordinates the joint efforts of the port sector to develop guidelines for monitoring, environmental protection and sustainability.
EWABA is a Brussels-based association representing the interests of the European waste-based and advanced biofuels industry before EU institutions, national governments, industry, civil society and the media. We promote the inclusion of waste-based and advanced biofuels in the EU fuel mix as a sustainable means of reducing greenhouse gas emissions from EU transport. Our +35 members, active in most EU Member States, collect and use waste and advanced feedstocks listed in Parts A and B of Annex IX of the Renewable Energy Directive (REDII) to produce sustainable biodiesel with the highest GHG -Create savings (up to +90%). compared to fossil fuels, enabling a “short-term decarbonisation” of the EU road and maritime transport sector.
The Federation of European Private Port Companies and Terminals (FEPORT) represents the interests of 1225 private port companies and terminals that carry out cargo handling and logistics activities in European seaports and employ over 390,000 port workers. The organization was founded in 1993 to promote the interests of its members and to maintain an ongoing dialogue with all institutional and non-institutional stakeholders of the EU. FEPORT is based in Brussels, Belgium.
The Shipyards’ & Maritime Equipment Association of Europe is the voice of the civil and marine engineering maritime industry in Europe. SEA Europe represents the European shipbuilding industry in 15 nations and includes the production, maintenance, repair, retrofitting and conversion of all types of ships and floating structures, both commercial and naval, including the entire supply chain with the various manufacturers of maritime systems, equipment and services.
