An environmental organisation has sounded the alarm over stagnant emissions from Europe’s container ships, urging stricter regulations and greater adoption of sustainable technologies to curb pollution.
The European Federation for Transport and Environment (T&E), a coalition of over 70 environmental groups across 24 countries, claims that container ships emit as much carbon per container as they did six years ago. The NGO attributes recent decreases in emissions to declining trade activity rather than improved environmental practices by shipowners.
T&E’s findings, based on the EU Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) data for 2018–2023, reveal that while advances in ship technology have led to greater technical efficiency in new vessels, real-world emissions have remained unchanged since 2018.
In response, T&E is calling on the European Commission to adopt stringent energy efficiency measures, including mandatory speed reductions for ships and promotion of sustainable technologies like wind assistance. The organisation also advocates transforming the Carbon Intensity Index (CII) into a more robust metric aligned with the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) 2030, 2040, and 2050 emissions reduction goals.
Jacob Armstrong, T&E’s shipping manager, highlighted the significant environmental benefits of slowing down vessels. According to T&E, reducing sailing speeds by 25% on routes such as Rotterdam to Shanghai could cut carbon emissions by 47%. Even if additional ships were deployed to offset reduced capacity, emissions could still be reduced by 34%.
“There just aren’t enough incentives for ships to sail more efficiently,” Armstrong said. “The biggest improvements in efficiency come from sailing slower. If governments put in place measures that promote real improvements in efficiency, they can slash emissions overnight.”
T&E was previously instrumental in the successful 2020 campaign to introduce low-sulfur fuel regulations. Now, the group is urging policymakers to prioritise real-world emission reductions over technological advancements alone, warning that failure to act could undermine global efforts to combat climate change.
The NGO’s call for action comes as the shipping industry faces mounting pressure to align its practices with broader environmental objectives and contribute meaningfully to the fight against climate change.
