Potential alternative fuel pathways for compliance with the ‘FuelEU Maritime Initiative’

Abstract:

The EU ‘Fit for 55’ package proposes the adoption of various legislative tools to eliminate shipping CO₂ emissions, among which are the inclusion of shipping in the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) and the FuelEU Maritime Initiative. This paper analyses the latter by utilising the EU's Monitoring, Reporting, Verification (MRV) database to evaluate the fuel types used, fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions of ships operating within the European Economic Area (EEA) for 2020, the Initiative's baseline.

Forecasts of potential future pathways for alternative fuel deployment are then developed that could be used to achieve compliance with the limits set by the FuelEU Maritime Initiative. The results of this study provide significant input to maritime stakeholders and policy-makers on the potential impact of the Initiative for the uptake of clean marine fuels and the contribution of the maritime sector to a climate neutral Europe by 2050.