The journeys monitored in 2022 generated emissions of 135.5 million tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere, 7.1% more than in 2021, the latest report from the European Commission, published on Monday 8 April, revealed. The emissions reported for 2022 come from a fleet of almost 12,800 ships, 6.5% more than in 2021 and the highest number recorded to date for a single reporting period.
This increase conceals major disparities between the different types of vessel, reflecting the major economic trends that have affected 2022, in particular the consequences of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In 2022, nine of the fifteen ship types reported higher emissions than in 2021. By ship group, passenger ships, liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers and bulk carriers recorded the biggest increase in emissions compared with 2021, up by 172, 59 and 13% respectively.
Conversely, the biggest reduction in CO2 emissions was recorded by container ships, which emitted around 2.9 million tonnes less CO2 than in 2021, or 7.6% less. This is due to a drop in activity in European container ports, a reduction in the average distance travelled and a reduction in the average speed of container ships in operation. In 2022, CO2 emissions from oil tankers were also at their lowest level since 2018, mainly due to the impact of sanctions.
Read the report: https://aeur.eu/f/bnm (Original version in French by Anne Damiani)