New EU-wide rules that require CO2 emissions to be monitored, reported and verified from ships have been agreed by the European Parliament and the Permanent Representatives Committee.
According to Hellenic Shipping News, the new regulations will improve information regarding CO2 emissions that relate to the consumption of fuels, energy efficiency and the transport work of ships.
Italian Minister for the Environment, Gian Luca Galletti, said: “The agreement reached between the Parliament and the Council has a great political value as well as technical: with the new regulation establishing a mechanism for monitoring, reporting and verification of maritime emissions, Europe immediately gives a follow-up with a concrete decision to the commitments of the Climate-Energy Framework 2030.
“This agreement enables us to play an influential role in the negotiations within the International Maritime Organisation, with a view to finding ambitious solutions that combine environment protection with development.”
CO2 emissions would have to be regulated from ships that weigh more than 4,500 gross tonnes, excluding ships that include vessels, such as warships, naval auxiliaries and government ships used for non-commercial reasons.
Ship-owners will also be required to monitor emissions for each ship on a per-voyage and annual basis.
The rules are to come into effect from January 1, 2018.
EU Force CO2 Regulations. (Source: Nick Hall Photography)
