Maritime stakeholder event: Clean air at sea – promoting solutions for sustainable and competitive shipping

Clean air at sea – promoting solutions for sustainable and competitive shipping

Brussels, 1 June 2011

The Maritime Stakeholder Event was co-organised by the Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport (DG MOVE) and the Directorate-General for Environment (DG ENV). Vice President Siim Kallas, responsible for transport, and Commissioner Potocnik, responsible for environment opened the event.

Stakeholders and Commission discussed ways for the shipping sector to comply with the new international standard for the sulphur content of marine fuels adopted by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), as reflected in the 2008 amendment to Annex VI of the MARPOL Convention, as well as a set of accompanying to ensure competitiveness of the shipping sector.

The discussions were held in the context of the revision of the Directive on the sulphur content of certain liquid fuels (1999/32/EC), which is in its final stages before adoption.

The event gathered relevant public and private stakeholders of the shipping sector and related industries. Around 200 participants representing the International and European maritime community have attended the Event. That included:

• Representatives of the public sector: regulators and policy makers in maritime transport and environment domains;
• Delegates from the private sector: shipping industry – shipowners and ship operators; related industries, such as shipbuilding, marine equipment, classification societies;
• Representatives of leading oil companies and leading associations in the oil refinery industry,
• Port associations
• Shippers—pulp and paper industries; and
• Environmental NGOs.

Presentations

• Agenda
• Introductory Remarks by Mr Siim Kallas, Vice-President of the European Commission in charge of Mobility and Transport
• Introductory Remarks by Mr Janez Potocnik, Commisioner in charge of the Environment

Session I: Reducing sulphur emission emissions from shipping: standards and regulations

• Item 2 - Marpol Annex VI - prevention of air pollution from ships
• Item 3 - Context, grounds for and salient points of the proposed Directive 1999/32/EC on the Sulphur content if certain liquid fuels
• Item 4 - EU ship emissions, time to act

Session II: Industry's perspective on the compliance with the low sulphur requirements

• Item 5 - Clean air at sea - promoting solutions for sustainable and competitive shipping
• Item 6 - Pulp and paper industries views and assessment
• Item 7 - Industry's perspective on the compliance with the low sulphur requirements

Session III: Compliance strategies

• Item 8 - Low sulphur marine fuel options: technical, environmental and economic aspects
• Item 9 - Exhaust gas scrubbing systems, technical and economical aspects
• Item 10 a - Shipyard's contribution to clean air at sea
• Item 10 b - Summary CESA position

Session IV: Short term accompanying measures to support compliance with the low sulphur standard

• Item 11 - European Investment Bank's Maritime lending policy and supporting instruments
• Item 12 - State Aid measures
• Item 13 - TEN-T/MoS and Marco Polo II workprogrammes for 2011 and beyond

Session V: Medium and long term measures to foster sustainable shipping

• Item 14 a - Norwegian NOx Fund as an instrument to reduce emissions from ships
• Item 14 b - Financing NOx-reducing measures through the Norwegian NOx Fund
• Item 15 - Alternative fuels, LNG, a short or medium term solution?
• Item 16 - Innovative and environmentally friendly operation with Viking Line Ferries

Session VI: Conclusion

• Summary of conclusions