The EU ETS was extended to shipping on January 1, 2024. File Image / Pixabay

The British Ports Association (BPA) has challenged claims that growth in UK container traffic shows the EU ETS is diverting shipping activity from continental Europe to the UK.

UK container tonnage rose by 10%, or 6.2 million tonnes, in 2025, it said in a report released last week.

London accounted for 5.4 million tonnes of the increase, following the opening of London Gateway's £350 million fourth berth in November 2024.

The BPA said the figures cited by Spain's EU ETS Observatory did not demonstrate an equivalent transfer of cargo from EU ports to the UK.

Rotterdam, Antwerp-Bruges, Hamburg and Le Havre also recorded higher container throughput in 2025.

The report pointed to port investment, shipping alliance changes and congestion as factors influencing carriers' port choices.

It also questioned the use of TEU-miles to measure carbon leakage, arguing that the metric reflects vessel capacity and voyage distance rather than actual cargo volumes.

The BPA acknowledged that EU ETS costs could influence individual routing decisions but said the available evidence did not establish carbon pricing as the main driver of UK container growth.

The association urged the UK government and the European Commission to reconsider the evidence before introducing measures that target British ports over alleged carbon leakage.

The EU ETS was extended to maritime transport on January 1, 2024. The UK ETS began covering eligible domestic maritime activity involving ships of 5,000 GT and above on July 1, 2026.

The report can be viewed from here.