EU proposes monitoring CO2 emissions of large ships from 2018

The European Commission plans to monitor carbon dioxide emissions from large ships starting from 2018 as part of EU-wide regulations to curb marine pollution.
Under a draft proposal published on Friday, EU member states would monitor, report and verify carbon dioxide emission from ships above 5,000 gross metric tonnes using EU ports from January 1, 2018, the Commission said.
If implemented, the proposal would reduce emissions by up to 2% compared with a "business as usual" scenario and provide net cost savings of up to Eur1.2 billion ($1.56 billion) a year by 2030, the Commission said.
"We recognize that shipping must contribute to efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, preferably through global measures which are the most environmentally effective and make economic sense," Commission vice president for mobility and transport Siim Kallas said in a statement.
Under the proposal, a document of compliance issued by an independent verifier will have to be carried on board ships and will be subject to inspection by member state authorities, it said.
To limit the administrative burden on shipping companies, ship owners will be able to select their preferred monitoring methodology, the Commission said.
The draft proposal requires approval by the European Parliament and Council to become law.
Emissions from the global shipping industry amount to around 1 billion mt a year, accounting for 3% of the world's total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and 4% of the EU's total emissions, according the EU.
Without action, the EU estimates that shipping emissions are expected to more than double by 2050.
Source: Platts