The maritime sector

The revised EU Emissions Trading Directive, adopted in 2023, will contribute to the EU's climate targets for 2030 and 2050 by increasing the use of renewable and low-carbon fuels in shipping. Initially, larger ships above 5,000 gross tonnages will be covered in the period 2024–2026.

Scope of the emissions covered by the EU ETS:

• On voyages between Member States and within EU ports, 100 percent of the emissions are covered.
• On voyages between an EU Member State and a third country, 50 percent of the emissions are covered.

Operators affected by the obligations

Operators affected by the obligations under the EU ETS are shipping companies, which may be one of the following:

• The shipowner, who is the registered owner and may be a legal or natural person
• An ISM company, which has taken over the operation of the ship in accordance with Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 336/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 February 2006 on the implementation of the International Safety Organisation Code in the Community and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 3051/95

The shipping companies which will have Sweden as the administering authority are those registered in Sweden, as well as those that either have the largest estimated number of port calls in Sweden or started or ended their first voyage falling under the EU ETS in Sweden. The European Commission has published a list of shipping companies included in the EU ETS at the end of January 2024 which will be updated every two years. However, not all shipping companies covered by the EU ETS are included in the original list and shipping companies and may need to contact EMSA for assistance in being attributed to a member state.

Contact the THETIS-MRV helpdesk: thetis@emsa.europa.eu

Information to you as a maritime operator

From 2024 onwards, shipping companies are required to report their verified emissions to the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency. The monitoring plans and emission reports are submitted via THETIS-MRV. Shipping companies registered in Sweden or with Sweden as the administering Member State must open an account in the Swedish part of the Union Registry to report the previous year's emissions, have these verified by a verifier and surrender allowances for their compliance.

Maritime operators use the same type of emission allowances as other sectors within the EU ETS. Emission allowances can be purchased at auctions on the European Energy Exchange (EEX), or from other actors with accounts in the Union Registry.

The maritime operator required to report within the EU ETS is also the one with MRV obligations in accordance with the MRV Regulation (EU) 2023/957. There will be no free allocation of emission allowances in the shipping sector.

Timeline for the phasing-in of the maritime sector

When the reported emissions have been verified by a verifier, allowances will need to be surrendered in the Union Registry. For maritime operators, the first surrender will take place in 2025 and will correspond to the emissions for the year 2024. During the phasing-in period, the share of emissions that operators need to surrender allowances for will be gradually increased over a number of years.

Timeline

• 2024: Opening a maritime operator holding account in the Union Registry is possible from January 2024. Carbon dioxide emissions are reported. Ships of 5,000 gross tonnage or more are included.
• 2025: 40 percent of the total reported emissions from the year 2024 must be surrendered in the Union Registry.
• 2026: 70% of the total reported emissions from 2025 must be surrendered in the Union Registry. Emissions of methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) are included in the EU ETS from January 2026.2
• 2027 onwards: 100% of the total reported emissions from the previous year must be surrendered in the Union Registry.

About Fuel EU Maritime

Fuel EU Maritime is an initiative part of the EU's Fit for 55 package, which together with the EU ETS will drive the transformation of the maritime sector. The initiative will promote the use of renewable and low-carbon fuels for maritime transport and lead to a reduction in the greenhouse gas intensity of energy used on board ships by up to 75 percent by 2050.

Decarbonising maritime transport – FuelEU Maritime (europa.eu)