How will “Fit for 55” affect the future of the cruise industry?
The cruise industry supports the long-term objectives of the EU Green Deal, and we are committed to pursuing net carbon neutral cruising in Europe by 2050. Europe can and should play a leading role in research and development towards decarbonization of all shipping.
The “Fit for 55” EU legislative proposal can support the pathways to a more sustainable cruise sector, if it includes realistic implementation timelines and is based on appropriate impact assessments enabling support from all actors, including more remote regions.
Over 80% of the orderbook of European shipbuilding are cruise ships. Besides being a vital part of the European travel and tourism sector, our industry underpins the entire maritime industry in the EU (shipyards and their supply chain, including many SMEs). We therefore have a great opportunity to generate green growth and create new jobs in the European waterborne sector.
The core challenge for the whole maritime sector is the lack of alternative marine fuels which will not be solved by the introduction of carbon pricing alone. Further political and regulatory attention will be needed to accelerate the development of alternative fuels and making them available for bunkering. Whereas the “Fit-for-55” proposal puts pressure on the ship-operators, with the aim of boosting the demand, equal regulatory pressure ought to be put on the supply side. It is hard to boost the demand on something that doesn’t yet exist, in sufficient quality and quantity.
A pragmatic approach is needed addressing more remote European coastal regions and is- lands that depend heavily on passenger shipping. Special attention should be given to assess- ing the impacts of the Commission’s proposal requiring zero emissions for ships at berth and at anchorage. Especially the requirement for berth-based investments of more than 6 billion Euros should be addressed appropriately.
* National Director, Eastern Mediterranean, CLIA
The answer was provided for NAFS magazine issue 143 in its special report “WOMEN in SHEPPING”