Tomorrow, the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) will present the second edition of the "European Maritime Transport Environmental Report" (EMTER), a publication focused on on the environmental impact of the maritime transport sector in the European Union which follows the one released in 2021 and is produced by EMSA together with the European Environment Agency (EEA). The New report shows promising progress in various areas, starting with the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions sulphur oxides from ships, as a significant drop in SOx emissions in the EU of around -70% compared to 2014. The document explains that, if the global limit of introduced in 2020 contributed to this decline, the factor The main driving force was the implementation of the Sulphur Emission Control (SECA) in the Baltic Sea and the Sea north. The document recalls that next May 1, the Mediterranean will become the third SECA area of European waters and that the countries of the North-East Atlantic are considering the establishment of the ECA, potentially by 2027, measures that should bring significant health and environmental benefits, improving air quality across the EU.

With regard to the introduction of non-native species (NIS) and invasive alien species (IAS) in European waters by the maritime transport, mainly through ballast water and hull fouling, which accounts for 60% of the introduces of NIS and 56% of IAS introductions, the report specifies that if the number of NIS continues to increase, the introduction of IAS peaked between 2000 and 2005 and since then it has decreased.

About the delivery and collection of waste from ships in ports 2023 was the first full year in which data reporting pursuant to the European Directive 883/2019 on port reception facilities for the delivery of waste from ships that provided information on volumes and types of of waste delivered by ships and collected by ports. The major quantity of waste delivered to receiving facilities port waste were oily waste and garbage, followed by water wastewater. Major ports such as Rotterdam, Antwerp and Copenhagen - the document specifies - have managed the most high, highlighting the significant role that ports play in the management of waste from ships.

The report also examined the problem of noise continuous underwater radiation from ships that has a negative impact marine wildlife and explains that the areas with the highest values of the sound pressure level in Europe include parts of the English Channel, the Strait of Gibraltar, areas of the Sea the Adriatic, the Dardanelles Strait and some regions of the Mediterranean Sea Baltic. The lowest values are recorded in the north-western part of the north-eastern Atlantic Ocean, in around the Denmark Strait and the Irminger Sea, and in the southern part of the Mediterranean. Modeling has identified technical mitigation measures and operating devices that could reduce the noise radiated underwater by up to 70% from 2030 to 2050 compared to a business-as-usual scenario, thanks to the implementation of noise mitigation measures irradiated underwater and greenhouse gases.

EMTER also includes an analysis of the pressures on the sector maritime transport on the environment, starting from the greenhouse gas emissions produced by ship traffic, which in 2022 was state responsible for 14.2% of CO2 emissions from transport with emissions increasing annually since 2015. Nevertheless remains one of the modes of transport characterized by a lower carbon production - the report notes - emissions of CO2 emissions from this sector have increased annually since the Renewable Energy Cooperation Agreement. Paris in 2015, except for 2020 due to the pandemic of Covid-19. In 2022, CO2 emissions from maritime travel reached a total of 137.5 million tonnes, with an increase of +8.5% compared to 2021. Five types of ships (container ships, oil tankers, bulk carriers, chemical tankers and vessels for general goods) accounted for 80% of these emissions. The data show that from 2015 to 2023 the Mediterranean had the Higher average annual CO2 emissions of 64 million of tons, followed by the Atlantic with 31 million tons and from the North Sea with 26 million tons. During this CO2 emissions increased by +46% in the Atlantic, +15% in the Mediterranean, +6% in the Baltic and +62% in the Arctic, while they decreased by -8% in the North Sea and -1% in the Black Sea. Most types of ships - he specifies the report - recorded an absolute increase in emissions; However, improvements in technical and have reduced emissions per unit load transported for specific types of vessels, such as cargo ships container ships and oil tankers. In addition, fishing vessels in the EU emitted around 4.8 million tonnes of CO2 in the 2021, with a decrease of -25% since 2009, and it is estimated that they emitted around 3.7 million tonnes of CO2 in 2023, or 2% of total EU transport emissions, due to a reduction in fleet size. As regards the methane, emissions from the shipping sector are increased rapidly, driven by a growth of +32.2% in the fleet of LNG-powered ships in 2022. In addition, the data indicate whereas in the same year the maritime sector contributed 26% of the total methane emissions of the entire transport sector of the EU.

On emissions of nitrogen oxides from shipping, between 2015 and 2023, NOx emissions increased significantly of around +10% across the EU. In specifications areas the increase was even more pronounced: +33% in the Atlantic, +8% in the Mediterranean and +32% in the Arctic. In addition, the data show that the share of NOx emissions from the maritime sector has grown steadily. In 2022, the emissions of this sector accounted for 39% of all NOx emissions from Transport.

With regard to oil spills from ships, the report explains that if until 2022 there was a decrease in the detection of possible hydrocarbon discharges from ships collected by the CleanSeaNet service, for 2023 the data show a trend reversal with an average of 6.35 possible pollution accidents detected per million kilometers Square. This represents an increase of more than +58% compared to 2022, or +16% if we consider only possible spills detected with a high degree of reliability. More cases of pollution have been found in the North Sea, probably due to the activities of offshore oil and gas extraction, together with the south-west of the Iberian Peninsula and the Mediterranean that are affected by a high maritime traffic.

The report also takes into account water discharges of open-circuit exhaust gas cleaning systems (EGCS), which account for 98% of permitted water discharges, largely due to the lower cost of compliance for ships installing EGCS scrubbers under EU and IMO regulations on sulphur emissions. The remaining 2% consists of grey water, sewage, bilge water and EGCS circuit discharges closed. The document highlights that the volume of grey water increased by about +40% between 2014 and 2023, mainly due to the increasing number of cruise ships in exercise, and notes that EGCS discharges can have a negative impact on the marine environment through the contribution of contaminants to processes such as bioaccumulation, acidification and eutrophication, thus underlining the need for additional risk assessment and regulatory measures.

Regarding marine litter, which - the report underlines - can be particularly harmful to the marine environment, biodiversity and local economic activities, it is estimated that fisheries and maritime transport contribute to the 11.2% and 1.8% of marine litter in the regional seas around to Europe, with an estimated decrease of -50% in the last decade, while the risk of collision between ships and whales and turtles in the eastern part of the Great North Sea, in the southern part of the Gulf of Biscay, in the Gibraltar region and in parts of the Sea due to the increase in maritime traffic, resulting in Potential safety concerns and impacts on biodiversity navy.

The report also analyzes the health status of the seabed, explaining that about 27% of the seabed (5% with serious effects) is affected by maritime transport activities, such as expansions dredging and anchorages that cause physical disturbances and losses habitat, and also takes into account the effect determined by the the expansion of port areas, specifying that between 2000 and 2018 grew by +12.5% and that these expansions contribute to influencing seabed habitats disturbing ecosystems through dredging, reclamation and increasing of maritime traffic.

The report therefore recalls the regulations introduced by the EU to accelerate the transition of maritime transport to the sustainability, noting that EU legislation has recently adopted, such as the extension of the ETS to maritime transport and the FuelEU Maritime initiative, is expected to foster the decarbonization of the sector. An increasing number of ships - notes the document - is equipped with alternative fuel systems, the indicating a shift towards more sustainable energy solutions and the use of batteries is increasing and is expected to The fleet that uses them will double in the coming years. In addition, even if the number of ships using methanol remains is growing, as is the number of ships they use wind and hydrogen propulsion. Relatively the installation in ports of facilities to enable ships to at mooring to turn off the on-board engines by connecting to the mains the report specifies that at least 44 ports have already implemented electrical connections to earth (OPS), with 352 berths equipped with fuel systems from shore to ship, specifying that, however, only a number of Limited of ships has the necessary equipment to connect to high-voltage OPS.