The report gives two other policy options to reduce the climate impact of maritime transport. Bringing shipping into the EU ETS would be the only policy instrument that would cap the net climate impact of shipping, the report concludes. Nevertheless, it needs further study, because “the wide variety of business models in the shipping sector makes it hardly possible to apply current methods of distributing allowances to the sector” and new methods that are suitable for the shipping sector, would have to be designed.

The second option given in the report is a differentiation of harbour dues. Although this policy instrument would probably be an incentive to increase transport efficiency, it would not cap absolute emissions. The third option suggests a requirement of ships calling at EU ports to meet a unitary CO2 limit value. The main obstacle for this option is that it would be necessary to demonstrate that it is indeed possible to calculate a CO2 index limit value that would not be dominated by external factors such as transport demand, and that it would take a large variety of ships into account.

More information:

Greenhouse Gas Emissions for Shipping and Implementation Guidance for the Marine Fuel Sulphur Directive