Phase-out shipping emissions

The European Parliament urges the Commission to “lead by example” in phasing out maritime emissions and support eliminating pollution from ships when in port and restrict air pollutant emissions in EU waters.

In a plenary resolution agreed on 27 April, the parliament repeated its call for the shipping industry to contribute to reaching carbon neutrality by making a 40-per-cent reduction in emissions by 2030, and for the EU emissions trading system to be extended to cover the sector.

They also added new demands, not least the urgent establishing of a sulphur emissions control area (SECA) for the Mediterranean Sea. Member states should also support “swiftly adopting” similar controls for nitrogen oxides, says the resolution, and extend both to all EU waters.

Moreover, member states should ban discharges from open-loop scrubbers, and the Commission should propose a gradual phase-out of the technology, which allows the use of cheap high-sulphur oil.

The parliament also called on the Commission to propose mandating zero-pollution shipping at berth and incentivise the use of onshore power supplies.

Source: Ends Europe Daily, 28 April 2021.

Link: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-9-2021-0131_EN.html

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