Shipping "will enter EU carbon trading scheme"

2302, 17/04/07

The shipping sector will be included in the EU's carbon emission trading scheme, the European commission has confirmed. The commission is to take action after concluding that efforts to cut emissions globally through the International maritime organisation(IMO) are not bearing fruit quickly enough. It will launch consultations in the autumn on potential legislative proposals to amend the scheme (ETS).

"We can say the EU is definitely going to go ahead alone because the IMO has not made as much progress as we would have hoped," an official told ENDS today. Last month the commission hinted the move was on the cards (EED 22/03/07 http://www.endseuropedaily.com/22883) after a study singled trading out as the best option to tackle the maritime sector's emissions (EED 26/02/07 http://www.endseuropedaily.com/22702).

"It's very much a similar scenario to aviation," the official said. The EU is currently developing legislation to bring airlines into the ETS within a few years. The emissions of both sectors were omitted from the Kyoto protocol's reduction targets on the grounds that measures would emerge through the IMO and its aviation counterpart, ICAO.

This week a meeting of the IMO's marine pollution arm is discussing the use of trading to cut sulphur and nitrogen emissions fromvessels, but a global carbon trading system for shipping is still a distant prospect.

The shipping industry could fight the EU plans. Bill Box of oil tanker owners' association Intertanko said applying the ETS to shipping would hit ships that routinely operate in both EU and non-EU waters. "When Europe starts talking about something that takes it out of the international system, we get a bit concerned. Shipping needs to be regulated internationally, especially when it comes to emissions and fuels," he told ENDS.

Campaign group Transport and Environment said the commission should also impose port charges, distance charges and fuel taxes to maritime transport. "The EU is finally waking up to the environmental impact of shipping, but emissions trading alone will not be enough to seriously reduce the environmental impact of the sector," Joao Vieira said.

Follow-up: European commission http://ec.europa.eu/index_en.htm, tel: +32 2 299 1111, plus shipping emission pages http://ec.europa.eu/environment/air/transport.htm#3. See also Intertanko http://www.intertanko.com/ and T&E release http://www.transportenvironment.org/Article398.html.

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