Emissions Trading
System for Shipping
The EU Emissions Trading System has been extended to cover maritime transport to and from EU ports. As of 2025, shipping companies are required to surrender allowances in respect of carbon dioxide emissions from in-scope activities; from 2026, emissions for methane and nitrous oxide will also be covered by the surrender obligation.
Monitoring and Reporting
Shipping companies must:
- Monitor Emissions: Track emissions and other relevant parameters.
- Report Data: Submit aggregated emissions data at the company level to the national Competent Authority.
The rules relating to monitoring and reporting of emissions, for the purposes of subsequent determination of surrender obligations under the EU ETS Directive, are established by Regulation (EU) 2015/757.
Surrendering Allowances
From 2025 onwards, shipping companies are required to surrender allowances to account for emissions as follows:
- 2025: 40% of verified emissions for 2024
- 2026: 70% of verified emissions for 2025
- 2027 and Beyond: 100% of verified emissions for each previous year
Administering Authority
A shipping company with maritime transport activities that are in the scope of the EU ETS will be attributed to an “administering authority in respect of a shipping company” thus:
- for a shipping company registered is a Member State, then that Member State will be the administering authority;
- for a shipping company that is not registered in a Member State, Member State acting as the administering authority is attributed on the basis of the greatest estimated number of port calls from voyages performed in the last four monitoring years;
- for a shipping company that is not registered in a Member State and that did not perform any voyage falling within scope in the preceding four monitoring years, that company is attributed for the first time to the Member State where a ship of your company has arrived at or started its first voyage falling within the scope of the EU ETS.
Contact Us
For inquiries related to the EU ETS for shipping, please contact the Climate Action Authority:
Email: ets.caa@climateaction.gov.mt
Phone: +356 23850500
