Shipping companies have both Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) and Emission Trading System (ETS) obligations.
- The MRV obligations means that they have to monitor and report their emissions and have them verified.
- The ETS obligations imply that the shipping companies have to obtain and surrender allowances.
Expansion of the ETS and MRV obligations in the future
From 2026 onwards, cargo and passenger ships of or above 5,000 gross tonnage (GT) have to surrender emission allowances for their CH4 and N2O emissions.
The obligation to take part in the EU ETS and MRV will be further expanded in the future. Offshore vessels of or above 5,000 GT have monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) obligations from 2025. And from 2027 they are obliged to surrender emission allowances.
Smaller vessels (general cargo and offshore) between 400 and 5,000 GT will also have MRV obligations from 2025. A decision on whether this category will need to surrender allowances will be made at a later time.
More (detailed) information?
More information and frequently asked questions on EU ETS Maritime can be found on the website of the European Commission. The European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) has published the recordings and presentations of a webinar on the topic of shipping companies and their responsibilities.