PortXchange, the Dutch company born as a spin-off promoted by the Port Authority of Rotterdam which develops digital solutions for the optimization and decarbonization of maritime-port operations, considers that the revision of the system EU ETS emissions trading system, which has been proposed in recent days by the European Commission ( of 17 July 2026), limiting itself to financing only fuels alternatives for shipping neglects an essential element for the green transition of the maritime sector, i.e. ports.

Referring to the Commission's proposal which, with the the establishment of the Sustainable Maritime Alternative (SMAP) mechanism Propulsion), plans to allocate a share of the resources generated from ETS auctions directly to shipping companies to in order to support them in covering the cost differential between the Conventional fossil fuels and sustainable marine fuels and in equipping itself with clean technologies and ships, the CEO and co-founder of PortXchange, Sjoerd de Jager, noted that if 'allocate maritime transport revenues to the decarbonization is undoubtedly the right direction," However, "ports cannot be considered simple spectators in this transition. They are one of the few places - he explained de Jager - in which the emissions of the current fleet can be analyzed, influenced and reduced immediately". "He It makes little sense to collect billions from transport emissions maritime - he added - while excluding measures that could reduce them now. Sustainable fuels are essential, but remain expensive, scarce and uncertain. Europe should not finance only the future by ignoring the operational waste that is occur daily in the ports and surrounding areas".

For PortXchange, in fact, the emissions of maritime transport can already be reduced today through better travel planning, coordination of port calls and sharing information, thus reducing the time waiting for ships, unnecessary increases in speed and congestion-related emissions. "The most of the emissions from ships," de Jager noted occurs while browsing. But some of the opportunities to reduce emissions are in the most immediate phases of finals of a port call. When ships have reliable information on the availability of berths and of port operations, can regulate the speed, Reduce fuel consumption and avoid unnecessary waiting to anchoring. We already know how to do it."

Furthermore, de Jager noted that, while "we often talk about fuels of the future as if decarbonisation began with the arrival of the next generation of ships", "the reality is that many of the ships currently in service will continue to to sail to 2040 and beyond. We cannot afford - he - to ignore opportunities to reduce emissions from the fleet we already own."

PortXchange also requires more uniformity in emissions reporting, which is considered essential for ETS-funded projects to can make significant progress. "We cannot talk seriously about a level playing field - explained De Jager - if each port uses slightly different. The methodology does not have to be perfect from the first but must be sufficiently consistent to allow Ports, regulators and customers to understand whether emissions are actually decreasing."