Shipping emissions inching towards 'point of no return' – T&E
Ships visiting European ports emitted nearly 130 million mt of CO2 in 2022, with cargo and container ships accounting for most of the emissions, according to a recent report by Transport & Environment (T&E).
PHOTO: MSC Musica cruise ship owned by MSC Cruises by Sweden's Stockholm archipelago. Getty Images
A 3% rise in CO2 emissions over the past year has pushed shipping closer to its pre-pandemic levels, argues T&E.
“Europe’s shipping giants are up there with coal plants and airlines as the continent’s biggest polluters,” said Jacob Armstrong, sustainable shipping manager at T&E. “Without stricter regulations, shipping companies will continue to spurn investments in efficiency and green fuels. The industry is quickly moving to a point of no return.”
Among the biggest polluters, container ships released 37.2 million mt of CO2 into the atmosphere in 2022, followed by bulk carriers with 17.4 million mt, oil tankers with 15.9 million mt, ferries with 12.9 million mt and LNG carriers rounding out the top five with 10.1 million mt.
Top emitters calling at European ports
According to T&E research, Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) was Europe's biggest emitter in 2022, emitting about 10 million mt of CO2 in 2022.
“The most polluting ship last year was the MSC Grandiosa, which alone was responsible for over 130,000 tonnes [mt] of CO2 – the same as a small town. Grand by name, grand by nature,” said the T&E study.
French shipping giant CMA CGM placed second behind MSC, emitting 5.5 million mt of CO2, followed by Denmark's A.P. Moller-Maersk with 5.2 million mt of CO2. The European arm of Chinese state-owned COSCO Shipping emitted 3.8 million mt of CO2, and Germany's Hapag-Lloyd emitted 3.3 million mt of CO2.
Meanwhile, emissions from cruise ships nearly doubled on the year in 2022 as international travel resumed fully after the Covid-19 crisis. The increase was mainly driven by British-American cruise operator Carnival Cruises and MSC’s cruise arm MSC Cruises, T&E found.
By Konica Bhatt
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