As part of the European Commission’s Fit for 55 legislative package, the FuelEU Maritime Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2023/1805) promotes the use of renewable, low-carbon fuels and clean energy technologies for ships, essential to support decarbonisation in the sector.
The Regulation is fully applied from 1 January 2025 except for Articles 8 and 9 on monitoring plans that are applied from August 2024.
Latest news:
- FuelEU delayed in Norway and Iceland (dated 18.12.2025): Due to delays in the process of incorporating the FuelEU Maritime Regulation into the EEA Agreement, the application of the Regulation will be delayed in Norway and Iceland. This means that Norwegian and Icelandic ports will be regarded as third-country ports in a FuelEU context from 1 January 2025 until the incorporation of FuelEU in the EEA Agreement. See also the announcement of the Norwegian Maritime Authority.
Key facts about the FuelEU Maritime Regulation:
- FuelEU Maritime sets maximum limits for the yearly average greenhouse gas (GHG) intensity of the energy used by ships above 5,000 gross tonnage calling at European ports, regardless of their flag. Targets will ensure that the greenhouse gas intensity of fuels used in the sector will gradually decrease over time, starting with a 2% decrease by 2025 and reaching up to an 80% reduction by 2050. The targets cover not only CO2 but also methane and nitrous oxide emissions over the full lifecycle of the fuels used onboard, on a Well-to-Wake (WtW) basis.
- To reduce air pollution in ports, passenger and container ships at berth or moored at the quayside must use on-shore power supply (OPS) or alternative zero-emission technologies from 1 January 2030 onwards in ports covered under Article 9 of the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation (AFIR), and from 1 January 2035 in all EU ports that develop OPS capacity. Member States may choose to apply the obligation to ports not covered by Article 9 of AFIR, from 1 January 2030.
- By taking a goal-based and technology-neutral approach, FuelEU Maritime allows for innovation and the development of new sustainable fuels and energy conversion technologies, offering operators the freedom to decide which fuels and technologies to use based on ship-specific or operation-specific profiles. The Regulation also provides for different flexibility mechanisms, supporting existing fleets to find suitable compliance strategies and rewarding first-movers for early investment in energy transition.
Frequently Asked Questions
The following questions and answers are intended to guide stakeholders in understanding the application of the FuelEU Regulation. They were prepared by the services of the Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport of the European Commission and does not commit the European Commission as such.
Secondary legislation
A number of implementing and delegated acts related to the FuelEU have already been adopted and are published. These are:
- Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/2027of 26 July 2024 on verification activities pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2023/1805 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the use of renewable and low-carbon fuels in maritime transport, and amending Directive 2009/16/EC
- Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/2031 of 26 July 2024 on the template for monitoring plans pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2023/1805 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the use of renewable and low-carbon fuels in maritime transport, and amending Directive 2009/16/EC
- COMMISSION DELEGATED REGULATION of 9.9.2024 on procedures for the accreditation of verifiers pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2023/1805 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the use of renewable and low-carbon fuels in maritime transport, and amending Directive 2009/16/EC
The following implementing acts are upcoming, and public feedback will be requested soon:
- Implementing act on OPS communication
- Implementing act on the FuelEU database
- Implementing act on the criteria for the acceptance of zero-emission technologies
- Implementing act on the list of neighbouring container transhipment ports
Helpdesk
The Commission and the European Maritime Safety Agency are available to answer any queries from stakeholders in relation to the MRV Maritime Regulation, the EU ETS Directive and the FuelEU Maritime Regulation. Please contact fitfor55
emsa [dot] europa [dot] eu (fitfor55[at]emsa[dot]europa[dot]eu) with any questions you may have.
Events and webinars
European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) together with the Commission is promoting a series of webinars for a better understanding of the FuelEU Maritime Regulation. Information on the past and forthcoming webinars are available here:
Reducing GHG emissions - FuelEU Webinars - EMSA - European Maritime Safety Agency
Guidance document
Currently, the Commission is working on comprehensive guidelines to assist stakeholders in the implementation of the Regulation. This guidance will be made publicly available once finalised.
Global decarbonisation actions under the IMO
The Commission, in cooperation with Members States, engages in the international work on reducing carbon emissions at the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
In 2018, IMO adopted the initial strategy on the reduction of GHG emissions from ships, setting out a vision to reduce GHG emissions from international shipping and phasing them out as soon as possible, with candidate short-, mid-, and long-term measures to adopt. In 2023 the IMO adopted the revised strategy, further defining its vision and guiding principles, as well as candidate mid- and long-term measures.
Compliance actions with the FuelEU
For ships calling EU ports for the first time after 31 August 2024, the monitoring plan is due within two months of calling at an EU port.
The reporting period is the year for which the emissions of the vessel are monitored and reported according to the monitoring plan. The first reporting period is the year 2025.
The verification period is the year after the reporting period, during which the FuelEU report is produced for the reporting period, and subsequently verified. The first verification period is the year 2026. The first FuelEU report submission to a verifier is due on 31 January 2026, containing the data from 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025.
The table below summarises the monitoring and reporting requirements for shipping companies, and their timelines.
| Step | Description | Deadline | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monitoring Plan Submission | Submit a monitoring plan for each ship in the fleet, to be assessed by an independent verifier | 31 August 2024, or within two months of calling at an EU port for ships not previously under the scope before that date | Article 8 |
| Monitoring Requirements | Record data for each ship’s arrivals and departures at EU ports, including: | From 1 January 2025 | Article 15 |
| Dates and times, duration of stay at berth | ||
| Fuel consumption at berth and at sea | ||
| The amount of electricity received | ||
| Well-to-Tank and Tank-to-Wake for each fuel type, encompassing all Greenhouse Gases | ||
| Amount consumed at berth and at sea | ||
| Ship’s ice class and voyages in ice conditions | ||
| Annual Reporting | Provide a ship-specific ‘FuelEU report’ to the verifier (for verification and calculation of results) | 31 January each year, starting in 2026 (after the end of the first reporting period) | Article 15(3) |
Additionally, container ships and passenger ships within the scope of the FuelEU Regulation will have to comply with zero emissions at berth (connection to OPS or use of Zero Emissions Technologies) within the timelines summarised in the table below.
| Step | Description | Deadline | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zero Emissions at Berth | Additional requirements for container ships and passenger ships above 5,000GT: | Article 6 | |
| Compliance with zero emissions at berth requirement | From 1 January 2030 | |
| Compliance with zero emissions at berth requirement | From 1 January 2035 (or earlier as of 1 January 2030 at the discretion of Member States) |
Relevant links
Full FuelEU Regulation Text: The official text of Regulation (EU) 2023/1805 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 September 2023 on the use of renewable and low-carbon fuels in maritime transport, and amending Directive 2009/16/EC can be accessed through the Official Journal of the European Union.
EU ETS: The EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) has been extended to the maritime sector from January 2024. The extension covers CO2 emissions from all large ships (of 5 000 gross tonnage and above) entering EU ports, regardless of the flag they fly.
AFIR: The Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation sets mandatory targets for the deployment of alternative fuels infrastructure in the EU, for road vehicles, vessels and stationary aircraft.
Renewable Energy Directive: The Renewable Energy Directive is a legal framework for the development of clean energy across all sectors of the EU economy, supporting cooperation between EU countries towards this goal.
RLCF Alliance: The Renewable and Low-Carbon Fuels Value Chain Industrial Alliance (RLCF Alliance) is an initiative that focuses on boosting production and supply of renewable and low-carbon fuels in the aviation and waterborne sectors.
European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA): EMSA also provides resources, updates, and documents on the implementation fo the MRV, ETS Maritime and FuelEU Maritime Regulations.
European Sustainable Shipping Forum: The European Sustainable Shipping Forum is a platform for structural dialogue, exchange of technical knowledge, cooperation and coordination between the Commission, Member States authorities and maritime transport stakeholders on issues pertaining to the sustainability and the competitiveness of EU maritime transport.
EU Innovation fund: The Innovation Fund is one of the world’s largest funding programmes for the demonstration of innovative low-carbon technologies.
MRV Regulation: The MRV (Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification) Regulation mandates the monitoring and reporting of CO2 emissions from ships, by ensuring compliance and enforcement of emissions reduction targets.