The European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO) supports the ambitions of the European Green Deal, the Paris Agreement, and welcomes the inclusion of the maritime sector in the EU Emission Trading System (EU ETS).

For European ports, the greening of shipping is a priority. Significant investments will need to be made in the coming years to enable the green transition of the maritime sector, including investments in port infrastructure, connection to the grid, energy storage, and the deployment of renewables in ports.

It is for this reason that the European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO) has joined a coalition of the maritime stakeholders in a call for dedicated funding for ports under maritime EU ETS. The joint maritime industry statement can be found at the bottom of this press release. Dedicating ETS revenues for investments is necessary to deploy much needed infrastructure for low- and zero-carbon fuels required for the greening of shipping.

“We need all hands on deck to deliver the greening of shipping. ESPO joins the wider maritime industry in calling for maritime ETS revenues to be used to support investments both on-board vessels and in ports. The creation of a dedicated fund which supports the deployment of infrastructure for low- and zero-carbon fuels both on-board the vessel and at shore is crucial to reach the aims the EU ETS is designed for” says Isabelle Ryckbost, ESPO Secretary-General.

Dedicated funding for maritime and ports must be the result of ongoing trilogue negotiations to ensure that the maritime EU ETS provides the sector with the tools to go green.

European ports look forward to helping find an agreement on a maritime ETS that is fit for purpose.

The joint statement is available here as a download.