New EU rules for monitoring, reporting and verification of carbon emissions from ships will apply from 1 January 2018, after the European environment council approved their introduction at its December meeting.
The regulation, which will come into force from 1 July 2015, covers emissions from ships above 5,000 gross tonnes – warships, naval auxiliaries, fish catching or processing ships, wooden ships of a primitive build, ships not propelled by mechanical means and government ships used for non-commercial purposes will be excluded from the measures.
Ship owners will have to monitor emissions for each ship on both a per voyage and an annual basis. The regulation includes provisions on monitoring and reporting, verification and accreditation, and compliance and the publication of information, as well as international cooperation. According to the commission, emissions from the global shipping industry account for 3% of the world’s total greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions and 4% of the EU’s total emissions.
