The European shipping industry is making progress progress towards greater sustainability but, in order to Achieving the European Union's climate and environmental goals aimed at reducing energy waste, pollution and greenhouse gas emissions and to protect biodiversity, in the In the coming years, it will have to intensify its efforts. This is highlighted by the second edition of the Environmental Impact Report of the published today by the European Maritime Transport Agency Maritime Safety (EMSA) and the European Environment Agency (EEA).

The report highlights how maritime transport plays a role in the crucial role in supporting trade, economic growth, connectivity and accessibility, contributing to the energy security and the creation of jobs in the but also stresses that the increase in demand for maritime transport has additional environmental impacts at the marine ecosystems and atmosphere. In particular, the document explains that the entire sector, including fishing and port emissions, accounts for 3-4% of total port emissions, carbon dioxide emissions and that between 2018 and 2023 emissions of methane gas from this industry have more than doubled accounting for 26% of total methane emissions of the sector in 2022. In addition, in addition to greenhouse gas emissions, the problem of reducing air pollutants such as sulfur and nitrogen oxides.

Maritime transport also continues to have an impact on water pollution, through oil spills and discharges of waste water from ships, as well as pollution underwater acoustics. If, according to estimates, marine litter products from fisheries and maritime transport halved In the last decade, however, the report points out, difficult to deal with the problem in a global way, and also the loss containers at sea, including those containing plastic pellets, continues to be a major source of maritime pollution.

The report shows that the use of energy sources and alternative fuels by maritime transport is increased, albeit from a reduced base, but at present it will be necessary to significantly increase the production of some possible alternative fuels to meet the potential demand. Guidelines will also need to be developed international harmonisation and train seafarers on the new decarbonization technologies.

"There is a need - highlighted Maja Markovcic Kostelac, Executive Director of EMSA, commenting on the content of the report - of continuous action and greater innovation to accelerate progress towards more efficient maritime transport in Europe, in all its operations, in order to achieving the ambitious goals of the European Green Deal while preserving the competitiveness of the sector. The joint report was designed to provide stakeholders with policy-makers and citizens a factual assessment and evidence-based evidence of the current and future challenges of the decarbonisation pathway of the sector, as well as the opportunities that digitalisation and advanced technologies can offer to support the green transition of the sector maritime".