ECSA pushes to include fuel suppliers in FuelEU Maritime

FuelEU Maritime should cover fuel suppliers so that shipowners are not penalised when suppliers fail to deliver compliant sustainable marine fuel, the European Community Shipowners’ Associations (ECSA) said today.

PHOTO: European Parliament headquarters in Strasbourg, France. Getty Images

Under the FuelEU Maritime initiative, the maritime sector will need to cut greenhouse gas (GHG) intensity of the energy used onboard vessels by 2% by 2025, 20% by 2035 and 80% by 2050, compared to 2020 levels.

These targets will apply to ships above 5,000 gross tonnes (GT), to all energy used onboard ships in or between EU ports, and to 50% of the energy used on voyages where the departure or arrival port is outside of the EU.

An amendment to include fuel suppliers in FuelEU Maritime was proposed by the European Parliament. Fuel suppliers will be liable to compensate shipowner or operators in case they fail to supply the fuel specified in the contract, according to Amendment 129 proposed by European Parliament.

ECSA argues that FuelEU Maritime needs to include fuel suppliers to move shipping's energy transition forward.

ECSA also supports a "high multiplier" in FuelEU Maritime - without putting a number on that multiplier. A multiplier is meant to reward early adopters of certain sustainable fuels over others, such as green ammonia over biofuels. These are typically called renewable liquid and gaseous fuels of non-biological origin (RFNBO).

Last October, the Members of the European Parliament approved GHG emission targets under the FuelEU Maritime. The text included an amendment with "a multiplier until 2035 to reward companies that decide to opt for these [RFNBO] fuels despite their relatively high price".

The final text of the FuelEU Maritime proposal is currently being negotiated between the European Commission, European Parliament and EU member states.

By Nithin Chandran

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