By
Laura Hyde |
Global ferry trade association Interferry has welcomed the European Commission’s Industrial Maritime Strategy to “use funds where they are collected”. It supports the association’s long-standing recommendation for member states to reinvest European Union Emissions Trading System(ETS) revenues into decarbonisation.
Annual financing requirements to decarbonise maritime fleets is estimated between €2.4 and €8.5 billion ($3.1 and $11.3 billion). Interferry is grateful the Commission is responding to its calls to use ETS funds to support environmental technology investments, including a proposition to provide shipping companies with ETS allowances for sustainable fuels and clean propulsion.
“The Commission is moving in the right direction by recommending that ETS funds be used exactly where they are collected: in maritime decarbonisation,” said Johan Roos, director of regulatory affairs at Interferry. “However, we must warn that funding must target the existing industry and fleet to its full extent and should not be restricted only to prestigious projects without broad impact; we know what we need to do to decarbonise and what helps us is practical support, whether for onshore power supply, electrification or alternative fuels.”
Interferry believes the strategy supports recent findings by environmental groups that highlight the vast potential for ferry electrification, especially electrifying ports to facilitate shore power. The association also appreciates the Commission's commitment to revise EU legislation once a global measure to avoid double payment is established by the International Maritime Organization.
Interferry says it stands ready to consult with the Commission to remove real-life hurdles currently hindering efficient ferry operations.