European shipowners are calling on the EU to set targets for the production of green fuels and to reinvest ETS revenues in decarbonization.
Together with the organization Transport & Environment (T&E), the shipowners united in ECSA are calling on EU heads of state and government to prioritize the production of clean fuels as part of the upcoming Clean Industrial Deal.
It is estimated that between 2031 and 2050, around €40 billion per year will need to be invested in the energy transition in the shipping industry. The development of a supply chain for clean fuels in Europe must be declared a priority in order to achieve the decarbonization targets in shipping (net zero by 2050) and the climate targets in Europe.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who is at the beginning of her term of office, had announced a Clean Industrial Deal as a continuation of the Green Deal. To achieve this, revenue from the Emissions Trading System (ETS) must be reinvested in national and EU investment plans and access to public and private funding must be facilitated, ECSA and T&E wrote in a joint statement.
Shipowners call on the EU to maintain competitiveness
It must also be ensured that at least 40% of clean fuels and new environmental technologies are produced in Europe. Shipping must be given access to “green” energy through special supply requirements for fuel producers in European ports.
“We call on policy makers to secure and further develop this competitive advantage by investing in clean fuels and innovative technologies for the energy transition,” said Sotiris Raptis, Secretary General of ECSA.
Policy makers need to close the regulatory gap by requiring fuel producers to make green marine fuels available in European ports, while carbon market revenues should support this endeavor,” said Faig Abbasov, Director of Shipping at T&E.
ECSA represents 21 national shipowners’ associations based in the EU and Norway. European shipowners control 39.5% of the world’s merchant fleet, contribute €149 billion a year to the EU’s GDP and provide career opportunities for 2 million Europeans on board and ashore. Transport & Environment is Europe’s leading advocate for clean transportation and clean energy.
