Denmark all at sea over shipping emissions

2480, 08/02/08

Denmark's largest firm, the shipping conglomerate A.P. Moller-Maersk, emits more greenhouse gases than the rest of the country combined, it emerged through media reports on Friday. Politicians, scientists and NGOs have expressed frustration that emissions from the sector continue to be omitted from national climate statistics.

Among the thousand or so vessels operated by the company is the container ship "Emma Maersk", the largest of its kind in the world. It consumes 200,000 litres of fuel or "the equivalent of a small Danish city" per day, press reports say. Annual emissions from the Maersk fleet are said to total between 40 and 50 million tonnes of carbon dioxide.

Like the aviation sector, shipping is exempt from emission reduction targets under the Kyoto protocol. And last month the European commission decided not to propose its inclusion in the EU's carbon trading scheme, despite ongoing moves to include aviation and earlier hints that ships would be covered (EED 23/01/08 http://www.endseuropedaily.com/24572).

Follow-up: A.P. Moller-Maersk http://www.maersk.com/, tel: +45 3363 3363, plus

articles in Berlingske Tidende http://www.business.dk/article/20080206/transport/702060057 (Danish)

and Jyllands-Posten http://jp.dk/uknews/article1258579.ece (English).

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