The EU is taking climate protection on the high seas further, creating clarity for the shipping industry as a whole as well as for the producers of marine engines, and assuming a pioneering role: In the trialogue negotiations on the FuelEU Maritime Regulation, the Council, Parliament and Commission had agreed on ambitious targets that are to contribute to a rapid reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. The European Council has adopted the Fuel EU Maritime Regulation, thus confirming the outcome of the trilogue negotiations. The EU shipping industry, as well as manufacturers of marine engines, now have clarity on how greenhouse gas emissions are to be reduced by 2050 using alternative fuels. The new regulations will apply from January 1, 2025, with a few exceptions. The shipping industry is to reduce its emissions by 80 percent in 5-year steps by 2050. "The quota now defined for renewable fuels of non-biological origin is small at de facto 1 percent by 2031, but it is nevertheless a clear signal to the market that hydrogen and eFuels are now needed quickly and production capacities must be created. It is clear that the climate protection targets for shipping can only be achieved with alternative fuels," comments Peter Müller-Baum, Managing Director of VDMA Power-to-X for Applications and of the Engines and Systems Association.

VDMA has been very closely involved in the FuelEU Maritime Regulation and, together with the maritime shipbuilding association VSM, has presented, among other things, the Power-to-X Roadmap for the Maritime Energy Transition, which you can download here

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