Despite the fact that international shipping is highly efficient, it is responsible for around 3 percent of global CO₂ emissions. This is to change, but how, and how fast? The European Parliament's Committee on Transport and Tourism just voted through a draft negotiating mandate on sustainable maritime fuels rules (FuelEU Maritime), remarkably setting more ambitious targets than the Commission. Once the Parliament has approved this draft negotiating position, trilogue negotiations with the EU Council will begin.

So, how can maritime climate targets be achieved, and what role can FuelEU Maritime play? A parliamentary breakfast was now addressing exactly this question. Dr. Niels Kämpny, Director of Directorate 3, Industry and Maritime Economy at the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labour, Transport and Digitalization of Lower Saxony, set the scene for the discussion moderated by Dr. Carola Kantz, Deputy Managing Director of VDMA Power-to-X for Applications. Impulse statements were given by Tiemo Wölken, MEP ENVI Rapporteur on the FuelEU Maritime, S&D, Lisa Wagner, EU Affairs Manager Rolls-Royce, and Simon Christopher Bergulf, Director Regulatory Affairs A.P. Moller – Maersk.

Tiemo Wölken said: “We also need regulatory ambition in the short term - a ship usually is on the water for several decades, therefore we have to see a quick change in shipbuilding to propulsion with batteries, with hydrogen, and with green ammonia and methanol. To see these changes quickly, we have to increase targets, and also incentivise the upscaling of zero emission fuels with a quota. Shipping has been recognised by the EU Hydrogen strategy as a main sector for the upscaling of renewable hydrogen. But shipping has to compete for scarce renewable hydrogen supplies with other sectors, in which other, more efficient solutions like direct electrification can be deployed. Therefore, we need higher ambition to really push suppliers and operators to use renewable fuels in the maritime sector. Otherwise, significant demand in other sectors could divert the necessary fuels from the shipping sector and create lock-out due to path dependency effects”.

Lisa Wagner emphasized that the industry has made great efforts in the past and is still doing so. “Now a big leap is needed, the change from fossil to alternative fuels to enable CO₂-neutral shipping. We at Rolls-Royce have committed ourselves to NetZero by 2050 at the latest and are investing in and developing new ship propulsion technology, now the suitable fuels must be rapidly produced and used”, she explained. “A binding quota for renewable fuels of non-biological origin (RFNBOs) in European shipping is urgently needed”, she added.

Shipowners also see the future in climate-neutral fuels. Simon Christopher Bergulf stated that “things are moving fast in shipping and so they should if we want a chance of staying aligned with the Paris goals. Maersk has just announced the building of another 6 large green methanol vessels, bringing our total up to 19 on the seas by 2025. FuelEU Maritime can support these investments by securing the right environment for the production and reward the use of renewable fuels within this decade”. 

Timo Schubert, Head of the Brussels Liaison Office of the German Shipbuilding & Ocean Industries Association VSM, underlined that a sound regulatory framework will not only deliver on climate objectives but also create huge opportunities for the maritime industry in Europe. “If Europe succeeds in combining climate protection and economic success for its own domestic transport needs, the rest of the world will quickly follow”, he is convinced.

Dr. Carola Kantz summarized that the Maritime Energy Transition now needs to quickly gain momentum through the right political decisions. “We need high ambitions, FuelEU Maritime should reflect this. With the Power-to-X Roadmap for the Maritime Energy Transition, VDMA is advocating a more ambitious reduction of GHG emissions by 2050, as well as a binding RFNBO quota in European shipping. We believe that with PtX fuels produced on the basis of renewable energy, at least intra-European maritime transport can be climate-neutral by 2045”, she said.

The VDMA / VSM roadmap for the maritime energy transition can be found here

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