Brussels plans tighter EU carbon fees for ships using non-EU stopovers

The European Commission is preparing changes to the EU’s maritime carbon pricing rules that would make it harder for shipping companies to reduce fees by calling at non-EU ports before entering the bloc, according to reporting published Tuesday.

The move is aimed at closing a loophole in the European Union Emissions Trading System, or EU ETS, which was extended to maritime transport in 2024. Under current rules, shipping operators pay for 50% of emissions on voyages that start or end outside the EU, and for 100% of emissions on voyages between two EU ports or while ships are in EU ports.

How the loophole works

The reported fix would widen the list of non-EU ports used in the carbon-fee calculation so that ships cannot lower their liability simply by making a stop in a nearby foreign port before continuing to an EU destination.

That matters because route changes can reduce what a ship owes without necessarily reducing the pollution it produces. The policy goal is to make the ETS track emissions more closely and limit carbon-leakage behavior in maritime transport.

The Financial Times reported that North African and Middle Eastern ports could be included, and that ports in the UK may also be considered, although the final proposal has not yet been published in the sources reviewed.

The current EU ETS maritime rules remain in force for now. The Commission’s official scope page says maritime transport has been covered from 2024, with the current split liability rules applying depending on whether a voyage is intra-EU or involves ports outside the bloc.

Why Brussels is moving

The Commission says the EU ETS is meant to put a price on pollution and support investment in the green transition. The broader climate framework also includes a binding target of climate neutrality by 2050, at least a 55% cut in emissions by 2030, and a Commission recommendation for a 90% net emissions cut by 2040 versus 1990 levels.

The shipping change appears to sit inside that wider carbon-pricing agenda rather than as a standalone policy. The Commission has been revising climate tools across sectors as it pushes toward the longer-term emissions targets.

The FT said the maritime ETS currently brings in about €7 billion to €9 billion annually, citing the European Shipowners’ Association. Tightening the loophole would raise compliance costs for operators that rely on transshipment or stopovers outside the EU to lower their bill.

Stakeholders and impact

Shipowners are the most obvious affected group, but the spillover could reach port competition as well. Non-EU hubs in the Mediterranean and nearby regions could face pressure if Brussels broadens the list of ports that count toward the liability calculation.

EU ports, meanwhile, would gain a system that is less vulnerable to gaming by route selection. The policy aim is to protect the integrity of the maritime ETS extension and reduce incentives to shift emissions-related costs through short detours rather than actual decarbonization.

The reported revision has also raised questions about the UK’s role. The FT said UK ports may be included, but the final text has not been published, so that remains an open issue.

What to watch next

The sources reviewed point to a planned July 17 ETS revision package. That will be the key checkpoint for whether the Commission formally names specific ports or regions and how broadly it defines the non-EU stopover rule.

Industry groups and affected port authorities are likely to focus on the same point. The wider the list of ports Brussels includes, the larger the potential cost increase for shipping lines that use nearby foreign hubs before calling at EU destinations.

For now, the development is a sign that Brussels wants the maritime extension of the EU ETS to be harder to sidestep and more tightly aligned with actual voyage emissions.