Brussels, 19/11/2014 (Agence Europe) - Negotiators from the European Parliament and the Council reached informal agreement on Tuesday 17 November on the draft regulation of July 2013 to put in place an EU system for the monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) of greenhouse gas emissions from shipping, as a first step towards reducing the emissions of a sector which contributes 4% of greenhouse gas emissions.
Under the terms of the first reading agreement on the future regulation, owners of ships of over 5,000 gross tonnes using European Union ports, no matter where they are registered will have to report annual CO2 emissions from 2018.
The new rules will not apply to fishing vessels, warships, naval auxiliaries, wooden ships of primitive build, ships not propelled by mechanical means and government ships used for non-commercial purposes.
All ship-owners will be required to report ship efficiency - measured in relation to the amount of cargo carried - but, to reduce the administrative burden, detailed rules will apply for each category of vessel.
Ship-owners' emissions reports will have to be approved by an independent verifier, who will then deliver a document of compliance that is to be carried on board. Member states will be able to inspect this document and will establish penalties for infringing the rules.
The Commission will twice annually assess the maritime sector's overall impact on climate change, taking into account emissions of CO2 and also of other greenhouse gases, such as NOx. The regulation will be reviewed when an international agreement on reducing CO2 emissions is reached at the International Maritime Organisation (IMO). (AN)