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Hapag-Lloyd eco chief warns against EU's demand for 'sensitive' CO2 data
GERMAN shipping giant Hapag-Lloyd has attacked the European Union's plan to regulate carbon dioxide emissions from ships favouring the UN's International Maritime Organisation (IMO) control instead.
Specifically, shipping lines opposed the EU demand that companies divulge "sensitive internal information' to comply with anticipated Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) rules to apply in 2018.
"It is worrying that shipping companies are supposed to hand over information that we classify as sensitive," said Hapag-Lloyd eco-fleet director Wolfram Guntermann in a company press release.
"This includes, for example, information on cargo and vessel utilisation. This data contributes nothing to determining the actual CO2 efficiency of ships," said Capt Guntermann.
"They openly admit that MRV is a first step toward integrating the shipping industry into its emissions trading system (ETS), as is already common in the aviation industry. But what isn't clear is when that's supposed to begin," he said.
"Shipping can only be regulated at the global and not at the regional EU level. The IMO should first set up a binding global system for gathering the CO2 data of all seagoing vessels.
"Only then can it use this data as a basis for discussing climate protection goals and instruments," he said.
"The IMO gives high priority to data confidentiality, and that's why it plans to not include the gathering of sensitive information about cargo and vessel utilisation," said Capt Guntermann.
Like other companies, Hapag-Lloyd does not see the logic in publishing commercial data. "It results in an arbitrary and unfair comparison of vessels, and we doubt whether this is even consistent with competition legislation," he said.
"If integrated into the ETS, the European shipping industry would face substantial financial burdens," said Capt Guntermann.
"Since one tonne of bunker results in three tonnes of CO2, the additional costs for emissions rights could range between EUR20 (US$23) and EUR150 per tonne.
"In addition, from the example of aviation, we see that being incorporated into the emissions trading system leads to strong distortions of competition at the expense of European companies," he said.
Specifically, shipping lines opposed the EU demand that companies divulge "sensitive internal information' to comply with anticipated Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) rules to apply in 2018.
"It is worrying that shipping companies are supposed to hand over information that we classify as sensitive," said Hapag-Lloyd eco-fleet director Wolfram Guntermann in a company press release.
"This includes, for example, information on cargo and vessel utilisation. This data contributes nothing to determining the actual CO2 efficiency of ships," said Capt Guntermann.
"They openly admit that MRV is a first step toward integrating the shipping industry into its emissions trading system (ETS), as is already common in the aviation industry. But what isn't clear is when that's supposed to begin," he said.
"Shipping can only be regulated at the global and not at the regional EU level. The IMO should first set up a binding global system for gathering the CO2 data of all seagoing vessels.
"Only then can it use this data as a basis for discussing climate protection goals and instruments," he said.
"The IMO gives high priority to data confidentiality, and that's why it plans to not include the gathering of sensitive information about cargo and vessel utilisation," said Capt Guntermann.
Like other companies, Hapag-Lloyd does not see the logic in publishing commercial data. "It results in an arbitrary and unfair comparison of vessels, and we doubt whether this is even consistent with competition legislation," he said.
"If integrated into the ETS, the European shipping industry would face substantial financial burdens," said Capt Guntermann.
"Since one tonne of bunker results in three tonnes of CO2, the additional costs for emissions rights could range between EUR20 (US$23) and EUR150 per tonne.
"In addition, from the example of aviation, we see that being incorporated into the emissions trading system leads to strong distortions of competition at the expense of European companies," he said.
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