CO2 emission information declaration:
a new European regulation (EU) 2015/757
adds to the current existing obligations of shipping companies whose vessels call in France
Following the agreement reached between the negotiators of the European Parliament and the European Council on the regulation setting out new EU-wide rules for monitoring, reporting and verification of CO2 emissions from vessels, last 17 December¹, a new regulation (EU) 2015/757 on the monitoring, reporting and verification of carbon dioxide emissions from maritime transport, and amending directive 2009/16/EC was adopted on 29 April 2015 and entered into force on 1 July 2015.
This new regulation will be applicable to shipping activities carried out from 1 January 2018 in relation to vessels above 5,000 gross tonnes calling in a European member state. It will oblige the shipowners or operators of such vessels, whatever the flag of the vessel, wherever their registered office is based, to monitor and to report CO2 emissions for each vessel on a per voyage and annual basis. The annual reports will be verified by an independent entity (the “verifiers”), which shall issue a document of compliance to be kept on board the vessel. Prior to the actual monitoring, shipping companies will also have to submit to the verifiers a monitoring plan for each of their ships by 31 August 2017. Some information included in the reports will also be made available to the public.
It is also expressly provided that the European member states will have to set up a system of penalties for failure to comply with these new obligations.
There were previously no European obligations in relation to the provision of CO2 information or declarations imposed on the shipping industry as the European regulation 525/2013² had excluded shipping from its scope. However, this does not mean no CO2 information or declarations are compulsory until 2018.
Source: Lewis & Co AARPI