The EU Emission Trading System, which has included shipping since 2024 and in 2026 will be at 100% regime, threatens to literally kill European ports. “A study has estimated additional revenue at the European level this year of between 6 and 8 billion euros, a figure that will grow in the future when all emissions produced by ships are taxed. As is well known, the ETS (Emissions Trading System) applies only to services involving a European port, excluding ports on the African side of the Mediterranean, which, according to the Freight Insights Observatory, will therefore be at an advantage,” wrote logistic expert Ercole Incalza on his blog.
“Specifically, according to the analysis, transshipment outside the European Union will yield savings of 50 euros per 40-foot container, amounting to 500,000 euros per voyage for each 10,000-TEU vessel that does not enter Europe. For routes from the Far East, additional costs of approximately 75 euros per 40-foot container are estimated, both for the Mediterranean and for ports in the Northern Range, though the impact on the latter is lower due to the economies of scale they can generate. Finally, for ports served via feeder vessels, the study calculates additional costs of 30 euros per 40-foot container. The analysis also considered ro-ro traffic, highlighting that, for example, on the Ravenna-Catania [Sicily] route there is an additional cost of 43 euros per cargo unit compared to all-road transport.”
