All sectors, including maritime transport, need to contribute to the EU climate neutrality goal by 2050 and the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) is a key policy to achieve this objective.

While the ETS Directive[1] allows for the transfer of the ETS costs from the shipping company to another entity operating the ship, it does not regulate the pass-through of costs to shippers.

The Commission's report[2] on the monitoring of the ETS extension to maritime transport shows that shipping companies typically pass ETS costs to shippers, with a limited impact on overall transport prices in 2024, estimated between 1% and 5% for deep sea container services.

A case study revealed that surcharges do not always reflect the EU ETS costs expected on specific routes, possibly due to shipping companies' strategies in redistributing costs among their lines.

Information to be published by 30 June 2025 in Thetis Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV)[3] will detail ship level emissions reported by shipping companies under the ETS, possibly aiding shippers in their commercial discussions.

In terms of effectiveness, companies passing on the ETS costs would generally incentivise their consumers to shift towards greener alternatives.

At the same time, the ETS would continue incentivising investments in mitigation reduction solutions in synergy with other policies such as FuelEU Maritime[4].

The Commission will continue closely monitoring the implementation of the ETS extension to maritime transport, with reports due every two years.

The above-mentioned report should therefore be seen as the first step of an ongoing process providing the foundation for future analysis and for possible enhancements of the monitoring approach.

Last updated: 17 June 2025