EMEA News
European Authorities Seek Compromise on Vessel Emissions Monitoring
Connie Hedegaard, European Union (EU) commissioner for climate action, is working to reach a compromise with the European Parliament on a plan to measure ship's carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions before Parliament elections in May, industry news site ShippingWatch reports.
Hedegaard had proposed a plan that would apply to ships of more than 5,000 gross tonnes (gt), but the parliament's Environmental Committee favours setting the limit at just 400 gt.
"We hope that it will still be possible to reach an agreement between the European Parliament and the EU Commission that is based on a fair compromise before the Parliamentary elections in May," Hedegaard said.
"It's crucial that the final compromise lands ambitiously and as close as possible to the Commission's original proposal, which was well balanced."
The Danish Shipowners' Association criticised another aspect of the Parliament's proposal, saying it would measure only fuel consumption and distances travelled, eliminating the incorporation of cargo volumes.
"The Environmental Committee has chosen to remove the transport work - that is, the amount of cargo carried - from the reporting requirement, to focus exclusively on the ships' fuel consumption and the distance they sail said Maria Bruun Skipper, chief consultant at the Association.
"This model says nothing about the development in energy efficiency, and it doesn't give carriers the opportunity to use this data as a tool to optimize their energy consumption."
The Parliament Environment Committee received praise from the environmental group Transport & Environment (T&E) for its addition of nitrogen oxides (NOx) monitoring into the proposed rules.
