According to a report by Transport & Environment, by 2035 over half (60%) of the ferry fleet of the European Union could be electrified and more than the half (52%) could also be competitive in terms of compared to ferries powered by fossil fuels. The document shows that in 2023 the 1043 European ferries taken into account T&E exams, many of which are small, have emitted 13.4 million tons of CO2, the equivalent of 6.6 million tons of CO2. million cars in a year, and were found to be responsible for more SOx air pollution than all cars in major European port cities such as Barcelona, Dublin or Naples. In particular, Dublin was the city port in Europe in terms of air pollution caused by ferries, followed by Las Palmas and Holyhead, a situation that is destined to change in the 2027 when new Control Areas of the Emissions that will limit air pollution caused by marine fuels in the north-east Atlantic. The study specifies that, however, despite similar measures already in place vigor in the Mediterranean, in cities such as Barcelona ferries pollute by emitting 1.8 times more SOx than all cars in the city.

The report indicates that in 2023 four Italian ports (Genoa, Livorno, Palermo and Civitavecchia) were among the ten ports with the highest level of pollution caused by in terms of CO2 emissions.

In addition, the report points out that ferries in Europe have an average age of 26 and which, therefore, is now the A moment of ecological renewal of the fleet. The document notes that electrification and hybridisation could reduce the CO2 emissions of ferries by up to 42% and improve the quality in port cities, while reducing costs operational. "Electrification - highlighted Felix Klann, T&E Maritime Transport Policy Officer - It makes sense from an economic point of view. Electric ferries are already cheaper on many routes and in the coming years they will become more and more so."

The study makes seven recommendations to enable this transition and at the same time to support the national industry, starting with the extension of the EU ETS and FuelEU regulations Maritime to ships of more than 400 gross tons, thus ensuring coverage of the most electrified vehicles, and the extension of the regulation on Alternative Fuels Infrastructure (AFIR), beyond the obligations for ports to equip themselves with infrastructure to alternative fuels and to enable the electrification of quays, including Onshore Power Supply (OPS) facilities, i.e. ship charging infrastructure.

In addition, it is called for changes to EU rules on procurement to ensure the sustainable use of public resources, including through zero-emission standards, a measure that could be benefit smaller ferries that operate more often in the context of public procurement or service obligations, and it is urged to include the production of batteries for marine use in the strategic objectives of production capacity, also through the EU's Maritime Industrial Strategy.

Finally, the study notes that according to European regulations already national and regional governments can already use key policies using supply methodologies and Green Public Procurement (GPP), reducing national taxes and levies on electricity provided to ships, as already provided for in the Directive on taxation, and extending the Control Areas of (ECA) to the outermost regions and putting an end to the specific derogations for certain maritime routes.