Swedish and Greek shipowners have written to the European Commission (EC) expressing their support for a fair and targeted carbon pricing system with an Ocean Fund that will provide price stability, critical for smaller owners.
The letter was sent ahead of the EU decision on carbon pricing and the introduction of shipping into the Emission Trading System in June, and will coincide with the International Maritime Organization (IMO)’s Marine Environment Protection Committee meeting also in June. In the letter to the EC the Swedish Shipowners’ Association (SSA), The Union of Greek Shipowners (UGS) and NGO Transport & Environment emphasise the need to maintain a fair regulatory regime.
[s2If is_user_logged_in()]Faig Abbasov, shipping director at T&E, and one of the three signatories of the letter, said: “This is crunch time for the shipping industry. With the EU deciding on the details of its maritime carbon pricing, it is an opportunity to put shipping on a path to decarbonisation. A well-crafted proposal can achieve this without undermining the smooth functioning of the sector. We call on other shipping companies to join this industry-NGO coalition to push for an ambitious and effective proposal.”
EC deliberations on the subject of carbon pricing must ensure that the cost falls on those that operate vessels, rather than just the owners themselves, “Even the most technically efficient ship can be operated inefficiently, leading to high carbon pollution,” reads the letter.
In addition the group warn the EC against creating a two-tier market where the larger, wealthier, companies are able to meet the carbon pricing demands, while smaller companies cannot meet the requirements.
Moreover, the authors suggest that limiting any carbon measure to Europe and European based companies will put those companies at a competitive disadvantage. “The shipping industry is very diverse, with many companies operating either exclusively or largely in deep or shortsea shipping. Applying the EU ETS to intra EU shipping only would unfairly put most of the burden on short-sea shipping operators and reduce the environmental effectiveness of the measure,” wrote the letter consignees.
A full copy of the letter can be seen here.
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