EC PUBLISHES DRAFT LIST OF NON-EU TRANSHIPMENT PORTS FOR FUEL EU MARITIME
This week the European Commission published the draft implementing Regulation identifying neighbouring container transhipment ports under the FuelEU Maritime Regulation. The list closely mirrors the existing implementing Regulation under the ETS Directive, excluding the ports of Tanger Med (Morocco) and East Port Said (Egypt) from the definition of ‘port of call’. This exclusion aims to prevents carriers from circumventing FuelEU rules through evasion strategies.
FuelEU Maritime, which has taken effect as of January 1, 2025, requires shipping companies to progressively reduce the greenhouse gas (GHG) intensity of their vessels calling at EU ports, starting with a 2% reduction in 2025 and reaching 80% by 2050. To streamline implementation and compliance, the Regulation aligns its scope with that of the ETS for maritime transport, using similar criteria to exclude non-EU ports near EU ports that could be at risk of traffic diversion. The Commission has based the FuelEU Maritime list on the data and analyses developed for the ETS Directive.
CLECAT takes note of the draft list of neighbouring container transhipment ports and warns that more ports could be included in this list over the next months. As repeatedly stated during multiple exchanges with the Commission, a certain number of EU ports close to non-EU ports, especially in the Mediterranean Sea have already been affected by evasive strategies, with a reduction of traffic and volumes. The Commission undertook a monitoring exercise to analyse the traffic situation in EU ports, showing no clear evidence of evasive behaviour due to EU ETS extension to maritime transport at least until mid-2024. We call on the Commission to have a particular attention on the port connectivity index of EU ports in view of the reshuffle of shipping alliances and new routes, effective this year, and perform a ship- or carrier-cost analysis, to highlight certain patterns which would mostly reduce ETS and FuelEU compliance costs while not particularly rationalise shipping routes.
The draft list of neighbouring container transhipment ports is open for consultation until 11 February.