The ESPO supports the EU's strategy of decarbonising shipping, but calls for financial support for ports

Today, by announcing its position on The FuelEU Maritime Initiative, the ESPO has confirmed its support for European Union's goal of becoming the first region to zero emissions by 2050 and also confirmed that The European Ports Association believes that making transport greener maritime environment is a priority for achieve this goal. The latter statement, which does not seems to be accepted in this form by European shipowners EU lawmakers as a confirmation of the goodness of their decision.

According to the ESPO, "improving both development, adoption, the use and availability of fuels and technologies sustainable alternatives is key to containing increasing CO2 emissions from shipping. For European ports - explained the association - the best and most effective is a policy that combines clear objectives with measures to facilitate the adoption of a variety of clean fuels and technologies, overcoming barriers to the use of sustainable alternative fuels and supporting investment both on the supply and demand side. Since there is currently no magic recipe to reduce emissions European ports believe that a goal-based and technologically neutral approach better position to facilitate the deployment of potential promising technologies and enable innovation as part of a multifuel future."

In addition, the ESPO has asked that, in order to facilitate this approach, coalitions are created from the bottom up and framework agreements between stakeholders in the maritime sector. One step, just in the direction of the proposal of the shipowners of a engagement and listening to the industry's thesis (but, this, "before" decisions are taken that impact on European shipping).

For THE ESPO, "these coalitions would ensure that infrastructure for alternative fuels available at ports effective use and demand for infrastructure alternative fuels is the same as the supply. The approach - noted the Association of European Ports - would help to economies of scale and overcome potential obstacles to development of alternative fuel infrastructure, including uncertainty in demand, high investment costs slow and uncertain return on investment."

In short, the fears of the ESPO are all addressed to the implications decarbonisation of shipping for ports and port association's request is to schedule the consequent and targeted and effective investments in ports are needed. Not for nothing, According to the ESPO, the FuelEU initiative should address all ship emissions: not just those produced during navigation, but also those generated during the stop of the ships ports. In particular, the ESPO expressed a clear interest in support a specific target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions ships at the mooring as a complement to the general reduction in shipping emissions. On the contrary, to clarify and distinguish what relates to maritime transport and what ports, the ESPO specified that the focus on the ports reduction in ship emissions at ports 'cannot be a way to delay the action or compensate for the lack of emission reductions navigation.'

For ESPO, the EU's goal of decarbonising transport must be supported by an appropriate maritime funding to support the initiative, investments that need to be made directed towards the construction of infrastructure for the supply of clean fuels for shipping, for the creation port areas of hubs dedicated to clean energy and connectivity to the clean energy network. Second association, to further incentivise the use of fuels revision of the Product Taxation Directive energy power service must provide for a permanent tax exemption at the level of the energy EU for all clean fuels and energy sources Clean.

A critical theme for the shipping industry is that use of economic resources from shipping that would be collected with its inclusion in the ETS EU. For THE ESPO, the implementation and management of infrastructure could be promoted using these Revenues. A proposal that could lead organizations owners to call for the inclusion of ports in the ETS Union for emissions trading.