The system will be revised to enable the EU to take account of the global data collection system for ships fuel consumption established by the IMO.
Specifically, the proposal aims to implement the two systems while preserving the objectives of the current EU legislation. By streamlining some aspects of the two MRV systems, such as specific definitions or monitoring parameters, the proposal aims at reducing the administrative burden and associated costs for shipowners/operators having to report under both systems, the EC said.
By harmonising its MRV system with the IMO’s system, the EU will still require ships registered outside the EU to report their data.
The commission’s proposal also maintains other key elements of the EU’s MRV, such as reporting data showing ships’ air pollution in ports.
“Shippers need to be able to identify the most efficient ships to cut their fuel costs and climate impact. The EU’s system provides this high quality data which will also influence the ambition and the effectiveness of climate measures in the shipping sector. Without accurate data collection, the reduction measures won’t be worth the paper they are written on,” Faig Abbasov, Shipping Officer at the NGO Transport & Environment, commented.
However, the EC yielded to pressure to remove the obligation on ships to collect and report cargo data – essential for analysing the real-world performance of ships. The IMO system exempts shipping companies from collecting data about their cargo.
“Despite the positive decisions on flag neutrality and transparency, it is regrettable that the commission caved in to pressure to remove the collection of cargo data within the EU. Without cargo data, the market would not be able to differentiate an empty ship from an efficient one and thus there would be little incentive to improve ships’ efficiency, lower emissions and reduce transport costs,” Abbasov explained.