The European NGO Transport & Environment (T&E) found in a new study that the European Commission's proposed carbon pricing scheme for shipping will let small vessels slip through the net, exempting millions of tonnes of carbon dioxide from tax.
The EC's plan to include shipping in the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) only applies to vessels with a gross tonnage of more than 5,000 GT. There are a number of exemptions for certain types of vessels, such as fishing vessels and offshore supply vessels. According to T&E, this means that the law will exempt more than half of Europe's ships and 20% of EU carbon dioxide emissions from shipping. The EC calculated that just 10% of emissions would be exempt under the regulations upon its release of the proposal.
