The EU Emissions Trading System - shipping sector
Inclusion of the shipping sector in the EU Emissions Trading System
As part of the European Union (EU) Green Deal, the European Directive No. 2023/959 of May 10, 2023 amended the European Directive No. 2003/87/EC (known as the “ETS Directive”), to include the maritime transport within the EU’s Emission Trading System (ETS). The European Directive No. 2023/959 also amended the Regulation No. 2015/757 concerning the monitoring, reporting and verification of greenhouse gas emissions from maritime transport (known as the “MRV regulation”), which serves as the support for this inclusion.
Created in 2005, the European carbon market is a cap-and-trade system aiming at regulating the quantity of greenhouse gas emissions from some industrial sectors (stationary installations, airlines). The inclusion of maritime transport in this market, from January 1, 2024, aims to cap maritime transport emissions within the framework of the overall cap of the ETS. In other words, it will result in a pricing of greenhouse gas emissions from ships aimed at encouraging the improvement of their energy efficiency and the deployment of low-carbon propulsions’ solutions, by notably reducing the price difference between fossil fuels and sustainable energy sources used by ships. This webpage aims to provide practical information and legal references for the management of maritime transport within the EU ETS, in order to provide a broad vision on the subject. It is therefore deliberately summarized to better facilitate comprehension. Only the texts published in the Official Journal of the European Union are official. This webpage is regularly updated to take into account regulatory developments and share answers to questions that may be frequently asked.
More information on the website of the State Ministry for the Sea.
Useful contacts
The French Environmental Transition of Shipping Unit (STEN1) of the French Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs, Fisheries and Aquaculture (DGAMPA) is the point of contact for shipping companies for which France is the administering authority. The French administration can be contacted by email to the address ets-fueleu.admin@mer.gouv.fr.
- To get more information about the carbon market and its operation, see the dedicated site of the French Directorate General for Energy and Climate (DGEC) (in French): https://www.ecologie.gouv.fr/marches-du-carbone ;
- the Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations, national administrator of the Union Registry for the management of greenhouse gas emission quotas and credits, provides information on their website https://politiques-sociales.caissedesdepots.fr/SERINGAS/home-syringas (in French). This administrator can be contacted by email via the address registerges-maritime-
fr@caissedesdepots.fr. - the European Commission and the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) also update information on the following websites (in English): https://climate.ec.europa.eu/eu-
action/transport/reducing-emissions-shipping-sector/faq-maritime-transport-eu-emissions-
trading-system-ets_en ; https://emsa.europa.eu/reducing-emissions/faq-extension-ets.html.