Porti & ambiente — le notizie raccolte

inPort News18/07/2026 Today, the European Commission presented its long-awaited ETS revision proposal. The text comes at a moment where the EU is actively looking for smart policies that reconcile its targets in terms of decarbonisation and industrial competitiveness. This ambition is at the heart of the ETS reform, including the adjustments that are proposed for the maritime sector. Since the inception of the ETS in July 2021, which extended the emission trading system to the maritime sector as one of the flagship measures of the Fit for 55 package, FEPORT has consistently called attention to the potentially negative impacts on the competitiveness of ports in the EU. The Directive applies to international shipping emissions taking place on voyages between ports in the EU and non-EU ports, meaning the shipping sector can reduce costs by avoiding calls in the European Union. The Directive in force since May 2023 already recognised this risk by excluding two of the EU’s ports’ main competitors – Tanger Med and East Port Said – from the definition of “port of call” meaning vessels including an additional stopover at one of those ports in their rotation will still pay the full ETS costs once they call at a port in the EU. While a relevant mitigating measure, this latter did not cover all evasion options shipping has at its disposal. FEPORT therefore takes note of the newly proposed criteria that allow for the inclusion of additional ports in the list of “neighbouring container transhipment ports” based on reduced transhipment thresholds and additional criteria to asses ports’ capacity to accommodate transhipment traffic. “It is however unlikely though that this proposal will be able to combat all forms of evasion, including transhipment and relay evasion that could pass through an EU port but where both the origin and the destination of the cargo is outside the EU” says FEPORT Secretary General, Lamia Kerdjoudj. Furthermore the Commission seems to have overlooked that targeted funding support is another means to bolster the competitiveness of ports and if investments are done in a smart way to support the rollout of alternative fuels infrastructure or the deployment of green port equipment, financial support can also encourage decarbonisation. FEPORT therefore regrets that the support envisaged in the proposal to the maritime sector fails to recognise the role of ports and terminals in supporting decarbonisation, the energy transition and industrial competitiveness. Allowances should also be earmarked for the port sector, as it is indirectly affected by the ETS due to its connection to shipping and its increasing electrification rate. “FEPORT therefore regrets that the support envisaged in the proposal to the maritime sector fails to recognise the role of ports and terminals in supporting decarbonisation, the energy transition and industrial competitiveness. Allowances should also be earmarked for the port sector, as it is indirectly affected by the ETS due to its connection to shipping and its increasing electrification rate” concludes FEPORT Secretary General. FEPORT and its members will continue their careful analysis of the proposed measures and look forward to discussions with policy makers.Source: FEPORT

Compartir El puerto de Tanger Med movió una media de 382.716 toneladas diarias en la semana cerrada el 21 de agosto, un 21% más que un año antes, mientras que el puerto de la Bahía de Algeciras se quedó en 179.163 toneladas, un 18,1% menos, según las estimaciones de actividad marítima de IMF PortWatch a partir de señales AIS, recopiladas porEED Data, la plataforma de datos de El Estrecho Digital. El volumen estimado sitúa hoy al puerto marroquí en una relación de casi dos a uno sobre el algecireño en un mismo corte semanal, aunque en escalas ambos operan a un ritmo parecido: 13,1 buques diarios en Tánger Med frente a 15,3 en Algeciras. La diferencia está en el tamaño medio de los buques que hacen escala a cada lado y no en la frecuencia de las llegadas. La comparación de los años naturales desde 2024, un cruce de elaboración propia de EED Data sobre las series de ambos puertos, sitúa el arranque de la divergencia en el mismo periodo en que empezó a aplicarse el régimen europeo de comercio de derechos de emisión al transporte marítimo, el 1 de enero de 2024. La media diaria del volumen estimado en Algeciras ha bajado de 230.034 toneladas en 2024 a 217.326 en 2025 y a 200.339 en lo que va de 2026, un 12,9 % menos en el acumulado del periodo. Tánger Med subió de 351.564 toneladas en 2024 a 381.650 en 2025 y se mueve en 362.263 en 2026, con un saldo positivo del 3 % pese al freno del último ejercicio. La relación entre las medias anuales de los dos puertos ha pasado de 1,53 en 2024 a 1,76 en 2025 y a 1,81 en 2026. El régimen europeo, aprobado por la Directiva (UE) 2023/959, cubre los buques de más de 5.000 toneladas de arqueo bruto que hacen escala en puertos de la Unión Europea, con una aplicación gradual del 40 % de las emisiones verificadas en 2024, el 70 % en 2025 y el 100 % desde el 1 de enero de 2026, primer año de vigencia plena. La norma computa el total de las emisiones de los viajes entre puertos de la Unión y la mitad de las de los trayectos entre un puerto comunitario y uno de un tercer país. Los transbordos en puertos vecinos reconocidos por la Comisión, entre ellos Tanger Med, quedan fuera del cómputo. El corredor marítimo del Estrecho de Gibraltar, medido como paso completo, ayuda a situar el conjunto. La capacidad estimada agregada del paso se movió en 3,54 millones de toneladas diarias de media en 2024 y en 2025, y en 3,51 millones en lo que va de 2026, con entre 132 y 135 tránsitos diarios en todo el periodo. En la semana cerrada el 23 de agosto, la media diaria del paso quedó en 3,31 millones de toneladas, un 4,4 % menos que un año antes. El corredor se mantiene estable en cifra anual mientras la actividad se reparte de forma distinta entre las dos orillas: la orilla sur sostiene el volumen y la norte pierde peso. Buena parte de la reordenación del tráfico en la zona procede de un factor ajeno al Estrecho: la crisis del mar Rojo. La inseguridad para el tráfico mercante en el estrecho de Bab el-Mandeb desde finales de 2023 empujó a las grandes navieras a rodear África por el Cabo de Buena Esperanza. La capacidad estimada del Canal de Suez se ha movido entre 1,34 y 1,47 millones de toneladas diarias en el periodo, muy por debajo de sus niveles previos, mientras el Cabo de Buena Esperanza ha manejado entre 5,23 y 5,68 millones. Una parte de ese flujo desviado continúa por el Atlántico y entra al Mediterráneo por el Estrecho, lo que explica que el corredor no se hunda pese a la caída de Suez. Sobre ese fondo, la reasignación entre las dos orillas del Estrecho se ha traducido en decisiones navieras concretas durante 2026. En junio, Maersk activó un servicio semanal entre el Báltico y el Mediterráneo oriental con una única escala peninsular en Tánger-Med y sin paso por Algeciras. En mayo, Ocean Network Express había retirado las escalas algecireñas de dos de sus líneas entre Asia y el norte de Europa desviadas por el Cabo de Buena Esperanza. Ambos ajustes restaron capacidad al lado español. Frente a esas pérdidas, la naviera japonesa sumó en julio un servicio semanal con cinco puertos de África Occidental que sí toca Algeciras y Tanger Med, aunque con menor volumen que las líneas asiáticas suprimidas. El recorrido semanal del volumen estimado dentro de este periodo muestra la amplitud de las oscilaciones. Algeciras marcó su suelo en la primera semana de enero de 2024, con 113.218 toneladas diarias de media, y su techo en febrero de ese año, con 331.237. En 2026 su mínimo se situó en 129.733 toneladas la primera semana de febrero, un tramo tradicionalmente débil por la caída del transbordo tras las Navidades. Tánger Med alcanzó su máximo en octubre de 2024, con 531.841 toneladas, y su mínimo en enero de 2026, con 213.445. En las cuatro últimas semanas, la media diaria quedó en 205.620 toneladas en Algeciras y 355.043 en Tánger Med. Compartir

PortBiz | Portogente A regulation designed to reduce shipping emissions is doing something its architects did not entirely anticipate: it is redrawing the map of global port competitiveness, shifting transhipment flows toward non-EU hubs, and sending a cost signal that Brazilian exporters are beginning to feel. When the European Union extended its Emissions Trading System to maritime shipping on January 1, 2024, the official objective was environmental. Carbon emissions from vessels calling at European ports would, for the first time, carry a financial cost measured in allowances surrendered per tonne of CO₂ emitted. The logic was consistent with the EU's broader climate architecture: put a price on pollution, let the market find the most efficient response. The market has responded. But not quite in the way Brussels intended. Rather than simply absorbing the cost and reducing emissions, carriers have been doing something far more commercially rational: redesigning service networks to minimise the number of EU port calls on each voyage, relocating transhipment operations to ports outside the European Economic Area, and charging shippers the difference through a new generation of surcharges that now appear on every freight invoice touching Europe. Two and a half years into the system, the EU carbon tax has not merely penalised dirty ships. It has begun to shift cargo flows, alter port hierarchies, and export costs to producers in countries that had no voice in the regulation's design, including Brazil. The mechanics of the EU ETS as it applies to shipping are worth understanding in detail, because it is precisely those mechanics that are driving the network restructuring now visible in traffic data. The system applies to vessels of 5,000 gross tonnes or above. It covers 100 per cent of emissions on voyages between two EU ports, 50 per cent of emissions on voyages between an EU and a non-EU port, and 100 per cent of emissions while at berth in an EU port. The phased implementation schedule gave shipowners time to adapt: 40 per cent of covered emissions in 2024, 70 per cent in 2025, and 100 per cent from 2026 onwards That graduation is now complete. From this year, there is no partial exposure: every tonne of CO₂ emitted on a covered voyage requires a corresponding EU Allowance, or EUA, to be surrendered. The financial exposure is substantial, 10,000 TEU container ship on Asia-Europe routes could face up to €11.4 million in annual carbon costs at full 2026 implementation, assuming €80 per tonne carbon prices. The same €350,000 range from carbon price volatility alone can eliminate 3 to 5 per cent of a ship's earnings. For bulk carriers on Europe-exposed routes the picture is similarly significant: an iron ore trade with high EU exposure can generate EU ETS costs of nearly €2 million annually, compared to under €706,000 for a grain trader with limited European touchpoints. The EUA price has not been stable. Between 2021 and 2024, it surged from €25 to over €100 per tonne before stabilising between €60 and €75 in early 2025. Projections point upward: current prices stand around the mid-€60s per tonne, with forecasts suggesting a rise to €105 by 2027 and over €120 by 2030. For carriers managing multi-year fleet deployment decisions, that trajectory is not a distant risk. It is a planning assumption. The regulation's architects understood the risk of evasion from the start. If a carrier could reduce its EU ETS liability simply by stopping at a non-EU port just outside European waters and transferring cargo to a feeder service for the final leg into an EU terminal, the environmental logic of the scheme would be undermined. Brussels anticipated this and identified certain neighbouring container transhipment ports whose calls do not reset the ETS voyage calculation. Its maritime ETS guidance currently lists Tanger Med in Morocco and East Port Said in Egypt under the mitigation mechanism. The rule specifies that any stop made at a port within 300 nautical miles of an EU or EEA port, where more than 65 per cent of containers are transhipped, will not be considered a port call for ETS purposes. In other words: a carrier cannot lower its EU ETS bill by making an artificial stop at Tanger Med if the cargo is simply moving to a nearby EU terminal. The ETS voyage continues to be counted as if the transhipment stop had not occurred. But the system has limits, and carriers have found them. Replacing an EU transhipment hub with a non-EU alternative on long-haul services, where the final destination is not adjacent to the EU border, can generate meaningful ETS savings. Alphaliner cited Maersk's MECL service as an example: by replacing Algeciras with Tanger Med on the westbound leg in late 2024 and removing the Spanish port eastbound in 2025, the carrier generated estimated ETS-related savings of €16 million to €33 million. Those are not rounding errors. They are route decisions. The aggregate effect of these individual network decisions is becoming statistically visible. Research covering container service networks between 2023 and early 2026 estimates that approximately 76 per cent of observed route changes were linked to the EU ETS, with direct container connectivity declining by approximately 5 per cent at northern EU ports and by 18 per cent across ports in the eastern Mediterranean. These are not marginal adjustments. They represent a structural reorientation of calling patterns that took decades to establish. In the western Mediterranean, pure relay transhipment through EU ports declined by 51 per cent compared with 2023 levels. The beneficiary has been Tanger Med, located on the Moroccan side of the Strait of Gibraltar, which sits outside the ETS framework and has been absorbing the traffic that Spanish and other EU Mediterranean terminals are losing. In 2024, Tanger Med surged 18.8 per cent in volume while Algeciras contracted 0.6 per cent. The contrast is not accidental. Algeciras itself had warned as early as 2021 that EU regulations could divert up to 60 per cent of its transhipment volumes. The 2024 data suggests the forecast was directionally correct. In northern Europe, the pattern is different but equally consequential. The United Kingdom's share of northern European deep-sea TEU-miles rose from 17 per cent in 2023 to 36 per cent in the first quarter of 2026, broadly mirroring losses in Germany and the Netherlands. Rotterdam, the continent's largest port by volume, reported a 15.9 per cent fall in transhipment TEU in 2025, linking the decline partly to congestion-related diversions and the shifting competitive landscape. The United Kingdom is not inside the EU ETS for shipping, making Felixstowe and Southampton more attractive for transit cargo than Hamburg or Antwerp when carbon costs are factored into the routing calculation. The eastern Mediterranean is experiencing its own restructuring. The Algeciras-Tanger Med dynamic has a parallel in the Piraeus-Izmir scenario, with Turkish ports offering a non-ETS alternative to Greek terminals for cargo moving between Asia and Europe. Academic research has modelled the carbon price threshold at which switching transhipment from Piraeus to Izmir becomes cost-effective for carriers; at current EUA prices above €60 per tonne, that threshold has been crossed. The scale of the competitive diversion has not gone unnoticed in Brussels. The European Commission is reportedly considering revisions to the EU ETS framework aimed at preventing shipping companies from artificially reducing carbon liabilities through strategic non-EU port stops. Reports indicate that additional ports in Morocco, Egypt, Jordan, and potentially the UK could be added to the list of neighbouring transhipment ports subject to anti-evasion provisions. The Commission's challenge is to write objective criteria based on transhipment share, distance, and equivalent climate measures. Rules written around individual competitor ports would invite legal and diplomatic challenge. The issue also interacts with the International Maritime Organization's work on a global emissions framework: a credible global carbon pricing mechanism would reduce incentives to divert around a regional carbon price, but IMO negotiations remain politically difficult. That global framework is taking shape, though slowly. In April 2025, the IMO approved a draft framework introducing a global carbon pricing mechanism for shipping, with a two-tier fee structure: a base fee of $100 per tonne of CO₂ and a higher penalty of $380 per tonne for ships exceeding stricter emission thresholds. The framework is slated for implementation in 2027, with actual payments beginning in 2028. For carriers already managing EU ETS compliance, the prospect of a layered global regime arriving within 12 months of the EU system reaching full implementation creates a planning environment of considerable complexity. The European Commission has indicated readiness to adapt the EU ETS in line with any forthcoming IMO instrument to avoid significant double burden on the industry. What that adaptation looks like in practice remains to be negotiated. In the meantime, carriers are managing two parallel regulatory clocks: one set in Brussels and running since 2024, one set in London and scheduled to begin in 2027. For Brazil, the EU carbon tax is not an abstract regulatory story about port competition in the Mediterranean. It is a cost that is already appearing on freight invoices for cargo moving from Santos, Paranaguá, and Suape to European destinations. From 2026, freight quotations for cargo calling European ports often include several green-related cost components: the BAF (Bunker Adjustment Factor) reflecting fuel costs including alternative fuels; the ETS Surcharge, sometimes labelled as a Carbon Levy or Green Levy; and the FuelEU Maritime Compliance Fee, introduced in 2025, passed on to shippers when shipowners incur carbon intensity penalties. For dry bulk exports, the numbers translate into direct cost additions. The Baltic Exchange estimated a surcharge of $0.30 per tonne for a Capesize shipment between Brazil and the Netherlands in 2024, rising to $0.74 per tonne in 2026 as the 100 per cent coverage obligation takes effect. On a standard 150,000 tonne iron ore cargo, that progression represents the difference between $45,000 and $111,000 in regulatory compliance cost added to a single voyage. For Brazilian soybean exporters, the EU exposure is direct and concentrated. The Netherlands is consistently among Brazil's top five soybean export destinations, and Germany, Spain, and Italy follow. Container shipments of processed soy products, coffee, and orange juice concentrated to Europe face the full ETS surcharge regime on every booking. Unlike iron ore, which moves on long-term contracts where cost increases can sometimes be negotiated over multiple cycles, perishable and consumer goods move on shorter commercial timelines where margin absorption is immediate. The mechanism that governs who ultimately bears this cost is, in most trades, the shipper. ETS regulations are clear that the responsibility for compliance lies solely with the carrier, both for reporting emissions and for buying and surrendering allowances. But carriers pass the cost downstream. Brazilian exporters negotiating freight contracts with European buyers who expect a CIF or CFR price are effectively absorbing the ETS surcharge as a reduction in their net margin. Those selling FOB terms are insulated at the point of sale but exposed through the influence ETS costs exert on freight rates and buyer pricing expectations. The impact is not evenly distributed across sectors. Coffee, which moves in containers and whose buyers in Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands are exacting on logistics costs, faces a surcharge on every TEU. Iron ore, moving in bulk to Rotterdam on Capesize vessels under long-term contract, faces a more manageable per-tonne addition but on a far larger aggregate tonnage. Sugar and poultry, which have diversified their European customer base over recent years precisely because of regulatory uncertainty, are now managing an additional variable. There is a dimension of the EU carbon tax story that receives less attention than port competitiveness, but which carries significant long-term implications for Brazil: the question of which ships do not call at European ports. As carriers optimise networks to minimise EU ETS exposure, there is a structural incentive to deploy newer, more fuel-efficient vessels on EU-touching routes, where carbon costs make the operating efficiency of the ship a commercial priority, and to assign older, higher-emission vessels to routes where the ETS does not apply. The South Atlantic trade, connecting Brazil to Asia and to non-EU markets, sits largely outside the direct coverage of the EU ETS. It is not a stretch to anticipate that Brazil's port calls, over time, attract a higher proportion of the older fleet. This is not hypothetical. The shipping industry's vessel ordering data shows a clear bifurcation: large carriers are investing in dual-fuel and green-methanol-capable newbuilds for European and North Asian routes, where regulatory pressure justifies the capital expenditure. The vessels being retired from EU routes are not being scrapped; they are being redeployed. Some of those vessels will arrive at Santos. The implications extend beyond emissions. Older vessels tend to have lower loading efficiency and slower turnaround times, adding pressure to a port system that is already operating near capacity. Santos that receives vessels deemed unsuitable for European routes is na exemple that faces additional operational constraints at exactly the moment when it needs to be running at its most efficient. The EU ETS is the first major carbon pricing instrument to apply to international shipping, but it will not be the only one for long. The IMO global framework entering into force in 2027 will apply to all vessels over 5,000 gross tonnes, covering approximately 90 per cent of the industry's emissions. The UK ETS, extending to maritime in 2026, adds another jurisdiction. FuelEU Maritime, requiring ships calling EU ports to progressively reduce their well-to-wake greenhouse gas intensity, layered additional compliance costs onto ETS obligations from January 2025. The cumulative effect, as Valor Internacional reported in August 2026, is that global shipping is entering a period of structurally higher operating costs driven by carbon regulation, with those costs flowing through to shippers across all major trade lanes. The industry is being asked to decarbonise at a pace and cost that its commercial structure was not designed to absorb without significant redistribution of expense through the supply chain. For Brazil, whose export economy depends on the competitiveness of commodity trade to European and Asian markets, the arrival of carbon pricing as a structural cost line in ocean freight represents a new variable in a trade equation that was already under pressure from port congestion, tariff uncertainty, and infrastructure gaps. Unlike those challenges, which are at least theoretically addressable through domestic investment and policy, the EU ETS is a cost imposed from outside, with no Brazilian institutional voice in its design or administration. The EU Emissions Trading System for shipping was designed to reduce carbon emissions from European sea trade. It is doing something rather broader: it is restructuring port hierarchies across the Mediterranean, redistributing transhipment volumes toward non-EU hubs, and embedding a new cost layer into every freight movement that touches a European terminal. The ports losing traffic are European and have political recourse within EU institutions. The shippers bearing the cost are globally distributed and have no such recourse. Brazilian soybean farmers in Mato Grosso, iron ore producers in Minas Gerais, and coffee exporters in the Cerrado did not vote in EU parliamentary elections and were not consulted in MEPC negotiations in London. But they are paying the carbon levy, absorbed into freight rates on every vessel that carries their cargo toward Rotterdam, Hamburg, or Marseille. The system is working as designed in one sense: it is making carbon-intensive shipping more expensive. Whether it is working as intended, in terms of actually reducing emissions rather than redirecting cargo flows to avoid the tax, is a question Brussels is still working to answer. In July 2026, the Commission was still debating which non-EU ports to add to its anti-evasion list. The debate will continue. The surcharges on Brazilian export invoices are already there. Sources:Logfret, "EU Carbon Rules Are Reshaping Container Shipping Networks" (August 12, 2026); Splash247, "EU Carbon Rules Drive Container Traffic Towards Non-EU Hubs" (August 2026); WorldCargoNews, "EU ETS Costs Shift Transhipment Flows from Algeciras to Tanger Med" (August 2026); Safety4Sea, "EU Reportedly Moves to Curb Evasive Port Calls Under Maritime ETS" (July 13, 2026); EU Today, "EU Shipping ETS Port Call Loophole Becomes a Port Competition Fight" (July 9, 2026); Shipfinex, "EU ETS for Shipping: Carbon Cost Modelling for Container, Bulk and Tanker Trades" (March 2026); DocShipper, "2026 EU Carbon Tax Impact on Global Shipping Costs" (March 2026); Lloyd's List, "EU ETS Explainer: How Will the World's First Carbon Tax on Shipping Work?" (October 2023); Baltic Exchange/Lloyd's List ETS cost estimates (2024); Shipuniverse, "IMO Carbon Tax: Where We're Headed and What It Will Cost"; ClearBlue Markets, "The IMO's Net-Zero Framework and the Road Ahead for Global Shipping" (April 2025); Ashurst, "A Global Carbon Levy — at a Price"; Valor Internacional, "Shipping Faces Higher Costs as Global Carbon Rules Near" (August 10, 2026); trans.info, "Rotterdam and Antwerp Slip as Hamburg Grows in 2025" (February 2026). is coming soonopening a new channel for the world’s ports to think, connect and navigate the future together. contact-us:Este endereço de email está sendo protegido de spambots. Você precisa do JavaScript ativado para vê-lo.

Search across reports, market insights, and blog stories. The European Commission has released its long-awaitedproposal to revisethe Emissions Trading System (ETS), according to a statement from the European Sea Ports Organisation (FEPORT). The proposal arrives as the European Union seeks policies that balance decarbonisation goals with industrial competitiveness, with themaritime sectorfacing specific adjustments. Since the ETS was extended to maritime in July 2021 under the Fit for 55 package, FEPORT has repeatedly warned about potential harm to the competitiveness of EU ports. The current directive, in force since May 2023, applies to international shipping emissions on voyages between EU and non-EU ports, creating an incentive for shipping companies to avoid EU port calls to reduce costs. To address this risk, the directive already excluded two major competitor ports—Tanger Med and East Port Said—from the definition of port of call, meaning vessels stopping there still incur full ETS costs when calling at an EU port. FEPORT noted that this measure did not cover all possible evasion strategies. The organisation acknowledged the newly proposed criteria, which allow for adding more ports to the list of neighbouring container transhipment ports based on reduced transhipment thresholds and additional capacity assessments. However, FEPORT indicated that the proposal is unlikely to eliminate all forms of evasion, including transhipment and relay evasion where cargo passes through an EU port but originates and ends outside the bloc. The Commission also appeared to overlook targeted funding as a tool to boost port competitiveness, FEPORT indicated. Smart investments in alternative fuels infrastructure or green port equipment could simultaneously support decarbonisation. The organisation expressed regret that the proposal support for the maritime sector does not recognise the role of ports and terminals in decarbonisation, energy transition, and industrial competitiveness. FEPORT argued that allowances should be earmarked for the port sector, which is indirectly affected by the ETS through its connection to shipping and rising electrification rates. FEPORT stated it will continue its careful analysis of the proposed measures and looks forward to discussions with policymakers. Making Data-Driven Decisions to Grow Your Business A Quick Overview of Market Performance Understanding the Current State of The Market and its Prospects Finding New Products to Diversify Your Business Choosing the Best Countries to Establish Your Sustainable Supply Chain Choosing the Best Countries to Boost Your Export The Latest Trends and Insights into The Industry The Largest Import Supplying Countries The Largest Destinations for Exports The Largest Producers on The Market and Their Profiles The Largest Markets And Their Profiles Instant access. No credit card needed. Online access to 2M+ reports, dashboards, and tables. Trusted by Fortune 500 teams.

Share The European Commission presented this Friday in Brussels its proposal for the review of the emissions trading system (EU ETS), the first since the regime included maritime transport. The text includes part of the sector's requests, including several from the maritime-port sector, and directly addresses a sensitive issue for European Mediterranean ports with transshipment profiles, such as Algeciras: the list of neighboring ports where shipping companies can stop to avoid paying allowances for their emissions. The classification of this list has been one of the main battlegrounds for European Mediterranean ports, including those in Spain, in their demands for a review of the ETS to the European Union. When a nearby dock receives this designation, the stopover at it does not count when calculating the percentage of emissions that a vessel must declare on a route with European facilities, which eliminates the incentive to divert regular lines to these locations. Competition with this type of port is particularly sensitive for European Mediterranean enclaves oriented to transshipment, like Algeciras. Brussels proposes reducing the transit container quota that defines a neighboring transshipment port from 65% to 50%. The Community Executive argues that the new figure is 'more appropriate' to take into account ports outside the Union with a high potential to attract transshipment activities, to which regular lines could be diverted to evade payment for carbon emission credits. Today that list includes only Tanger Med (Morocco) and Port Said (Egypt). The change opens the door to the incorporation, in the short to medium term, of bays like the Turkish Tekirdag or the Egyptian Damietta, both explicitly mentioned in the regulatory documentation released by Brussels. The Commission also mentions Nador West Med (Morocco), Dakhla (Morocco), and Cherchell (Algeria) as developing enclaves in the European vicinity that could become alternatives to evade the ETS. The list will be reviewed annually instead of every two years. The proposal also excludes from the definition of 'stopover port' facilities with transshipment container infrastructure located less than 150 nautical miles from a port of a Member State, unless equivalent measures exist in third countries. It also expands that definition to include operational offshore sites, in order to curb evasion by vessels engaged in offshore activities. Another change affects the size of the ships subject to the system. The rule in force since 2024 requires the purchase of allowances only for vessels larger than 5,000 gross tonnage. The review extends this obligation to certain ships of at least 400 tons, of general cargo and offshore units, which today represent about 15% of emissions from the already covered fleet despite their large number. At this point, the Commission departs from what the shipowners requested and aligns with the requests of environmental associations, arguing to balance competitive conditions against larger vessels. The expansion would come into effect on January 1, 2029. By at least December 31, 2031, the Commission must present to Parliament and the Council a report evaluating the viability and economic, environmental, and social impact of a potential extension of the system to ro-pax vessels and passenger ships under 5,000 tons. In sustainable fuels, instead of requiring States to use ETS revenues for the decarbonization of maritime transport —as demanded by the European shipowners' association ECSA—, the Community Executive creates the Sustainable Maritime Alternative Propulsion (SMAP) mechanism. This reserves 110 million free emission allowances between January 1, 2028, or the first year after the directive comes into force, and December 31, 2040. The fund will be distributed among shipping companies on a transparent, equitable, and nondiscriminatory basis and will cover part of the price differential between conventional fossil fuels and alternatives, as well as the additional costs of zero-emission propulsion technologies, such as electric or wind-assisted. The text also incorporates a deduction mechanism linked to the International Maritime Organization (IMO). If the organization approves a global measure to decarbonize international maritime transport, the Commission will have 18 months to assess its ambition and coherence with the EU ETS and avoid double payments, without the obligation to accompany that report with a legislative proposal. The mechanism would allow companies to submit fewer allowances to the extent that their emissions are already taxed under the IMO framework. Current exemptions for ice-class vessels, routes to outermost regions and small islands without regular connections to the mainland, and passenger services subject to public service obligations were set to expire on December 31, 2030. The proposal extends them until December 31, 2035, without making them permanent, contrary to what ECSA had requested. Before September 30, 2033, the Commission will assess whether to further extend the exemption for ice-class vessels based on available technical progress. The Italian shipowners' association Assarmatori described the proposal as 'too timid,' although it recognized favorable aspects. Its president, Stefano Messina, lamented the lack of instruments to protect connections with larger islands and the Motorways of the Sea and warned that this jeopardizes the principle of territorial continuity. Among the positive elements, he cited the extension until 2035 of the exemption for links with smaller islands, which he attributed to the work of the Executive Vice-President of the Commission, Raffaele Fitto, and the Italian Government. He also appreciated the special discount regime on the ETS cost for intercontinental container transshipment, limited to routes entering the Union, the scope of which he considered 'still insufficient.' Messina criticized the extension of the 300 nautical mile rule as a punitive and ineffective measure to curb transshipment. Regarding support for alternative fuels, Assarmatori noted that it should be financed with free emission allowances, as is already the case in aviation, but warned that the text includes among the financable items propulsion technologies, which could translate into a market incentive that is unclear. In other modes of transport, the proposal excludes road transport, already regulated by the separate ETS2 system, created in the review of the 2023 directive and fully operational in 2028. For aviation, it applies the EU ETS to international flights departing to destinations located less than 5,000 kilometers from the center of the EU and to all movements in and out of business aircraft. The proposal thus incorporates several requests from shipowners, with the new SMAP mechanism and the extension of exemptions for islands, outermost regions, and ice-class vessels, without paving the way towards ECSA's more ambitious objectives: the exemptions remain temporary, the clause regarding the IMO introduces a deduction of allowances instead of an automatic withdrawal from the EU ETS in the event of a global measure, and double taxation with energy taxation is excluded from the text. The document now begins its processing in the Council and the European Parliament, where shipowners hope to expand the scope of measures on transshipment and fuels. Share

Compartir La Comisión Europea ha presentado este viernes en Bruselas su propuesta de revisión del sistema de comercio de derechos de emisión (EU ETS), la primera desde que el régimen incorporó al transporte marítimo. El texto recoge parte de las peticiones del sector del transporte, entre ellas varias del ámbito marítimo-portuario, y toca de lleno un asunto sensible para los puertos mediterráneos europeos con perfil de transbordo, como Algeciras: la lista de puertos vecinos donde las navieras pueden hacer escala para eludir el pago de derechos por sus emisiones. La clasificación de esa lista ha sido uno de los principales caballos de batalla de los puertos europeos del Mediterráneo, entre ellos los españoles, en sus demandas de revisión del ETS a la Unión Europea. Cuando una dársena próxima recibe esa consideración, la escala en ella no computa al calcular el porcentaje de emisiones que un buque debe declarar en un trayecto con instalaciones europeas, lo que elimina el incentivo para desviar líneas regulares hacia esos recintos. La competencia con este tipo de puertos resulta especialmente sensible para los enclaves mediterráneos europeos orientados al transbordo, como Algeciras. Bruselas propone rebajar del 65% al 50% la cuota de contenedores en tránsito que define a un puerto vecino de transbordo. El Ejecutivo comunitario sostiene que la nueva cifra resulta «más apropiada» para tomar en cuenta puertos fuera de la Unión con alto potencial de atraer actividades de transbordo, hacia los cuales podrían derivarse líneas regulares para esquivar el pago de créditos por emisiones de carbono. Hoy esa lista solo incluye Tanger Med (Marruecos) y Port Said (Egipto). El cambio abre la puerta a la incorporación, a corto o medio plazo, de radas como la turca Tekirdag o la egipcia de Damietta, ambas citadas de forma explícita en la documentación normativa divulgada por Bruselas. La Comisión menciona además Nador West Med (Marruecos), Dakhla (Marruecos) y Cherchell (Argelia) como enclaves en desarrollo en la vecindad europea que podrían convertirse en alternativas para esquivar el ETS. La lista pasará a revisarse cada año, en lugar de cada dos. La propuesta excluye asimismo de la definición de «puerto de escala» a los recintos con infraestructura de transbordo de contenedores situados a menos de 150 millas náuticas de un puerto de un Estado miembro, salvo que existan medidas equivalentes en terceros países. También amplía esa definición para incorporar los emplazamientos operativos offshore, con el fin de frenar la elusión por parte de los buques dedicados a actividades mar adentro. Otro de los cambios afecta al tamaño de los barcos sujetos al sistema. La norma vigente desde 2024 obliga a adquirir derechos solo a las embarcaciones de más de 5.000 toneladas de arqueo bruto. La revisión extiende esa obligación a determinados buques de al menos 400 toneladas, de carga general y unidades offshore, que hoy representan alrededor del 15% de las emisiones de la flota ya cubierta pese a su elevado número. En este punto la Comisión se aparta de lo que pedían los armadores y recoge las peticiones de las asociaciones ambientalistas, con el argumento de equilibrar las condiciones de competencia frente a los buques de mayor tamaño. La ampliación entraría en vigor el 1 de enero de 2029. Como muy tarde el 31 de diciembre de 2031, la Comisión deberá presentar al Parlamento y al Consejo un informe que evalúe la viabilidad y el impacto económico, ambiental y social de una eventual extensión del sistema a los buques ro-pax y de pasaje por debajo de las 5.000 toneladas. En materia de combustibles sostenibles, en lugar de obligar a los Estados a emplear los ingresos del ETS en la descarbonización del transporte marítimo —como reclamaba la patronal europea de armadores ECSA—, el Ejecutivo comunitario crea el mecanismo Sustainable Maritime Alternative Propulsion (SMAP). Este reserva 110 millones de derechos de emisión gratuitos entre el 1 de enero de 2028, o el primer año tras la entrada en vigor de la directiva, y el 31 de diciembre de 2040. El fondo se repartirá entre las navieras sobre una base transparente, equitativa y no discriminatoria, y cubrirá parte del diferencial de precio entre los combustibles fósiles convencionales y los alternativos, además de los sobrecostes de las tecnologías de propulsión de cero emisiones, como la eléctrica o la asistida por viento. El texto incorpora también un mecanismo de deducción vinculado a la Organización Marítima Internacional (OMI). Si el organismo aprueba una medida global para descarbonizar el transporte marítimo internacional, la Comisión dispondrá de 18 meses para valorar su ambición y su coherencia con el EU ETS y evitar dobles pagos, sin obligación de acompañar ese informe con una propuesta legislativa. El mecanismo permitiría a las compañías entregar menos derechos en la medida en que sus emisiones ya tributen en el ámbito de la OMI. Las exenciones actuales para los buques de clase hielo, las rutas hacia regiones ultraperiféricas e islas pequeñas sin conexión regular con tierra firme y los servicios de pasaje sujetos a obligaciones de servicio público expiraban el 31 de diciembre de 2030. La propuesta las prorroga hasta el 31 de diciembre de 2035, sin convertirlas en permanentes, frente a lo que había pedido ECSA. Antes del 30 de septiembre de 2033, la Comisión evaluará si extiende todavía más la exención de los buques de clase hielo en función de los progresos técnicos disponibles. La asociación italiana de armadores Assarmatori calificó la propuesta de «demasiado tímida», aunque le reconoció aspectos favorables. Su presidente, Stefano Messina, lamentó la ausencia de instrumentos para proteger las conexiones con las islas mayores y las Autopistas del Mar, y advirtió de que ello pone en riesgo el principio de continuidad territorial. Entre los elementos positivos citó la prórroga hasta 2035 de la exención para los enlaces con las islas menores, que atribuyó al trabajo del vicepresidente ejecutivo de la Comisión, Raffaele Fitto, y del Gobierno italiano. También valoró el régimen especial de descuento sobre el sobrecoste del ETS para el transbordo intercontinental de contenedores, limitado a las rutas de entrada en la Unión, cuyo alcance consideró «todavía insuficiente». Messina criticó la extensión de la regla de las 300 millas náuticas por considerarla una medida punitiva e ineficaz para atajar el transbordo. Sobre el apoyo a los combustibles alternativos, Assarmatori valoró que se financie con derechos de emisión gratuitos, como ya ocurre en la aviación, pero advirtió de que el texto incluye entre las partidas financiables las tecnologías de propulsión, lo que puede traducirse en un incentivo de mercado poco claro. En los demás modos de transporte, la propuesta deja fuera al transporte por carretera, ya regulado por el sistema separado ETS2, creado en la revisión de la directiva de 2023 y plenamente operativo en 2028. Para la aviación, aplica el EU ETS a los vuelos internacionales con salida hacia destinos situados a menos de 5.000 kilómetros del centro de la UE y a todos los movimientos de entrada y salida de aeronaves de negocios. La propuesta recoge así varias peticiones de los armadores, con el nuevo mecanismo SMAP y la prórroga de las exenciones para islas, regiones ultraperiféricas y buques de clase hielo, sin allanar el camino hacia los objetivos más ambiciosos de ECSA: las exenciones siguen siendo temporales, la cláusula sobre la OMI introduce una deducción de derechos en lugar de una retirada automática del EU ETS ante una medida global, y la doble imposición con la fiscalidad energética queda fuera del texto. El documento inicia ahora su tramitación en el Consejo y el Parlamento Europeo, donde los armadores confían en ampliar el alcance de las medidas sobre transbordo y combustibles. Compartir

Share The Port Authority of the Bay of Algeciras (APBA) presents this Thursday, before institutions and the port community, its Strategic Plan 2030 with a vision for 2040, the document that will guide the development of the ports of Algeciras and Tarifa in the horizons of 2030 and 2040. The plan, approved by the APBA Board of Directors last April 8, is the first major strategic review of the agency since 2014, when the previous plan with a 2020 horizon was developed, and comes at a time of profound changes in supply chains, geopolitics, and European regulatory demands regarding sustainability and digitalization. "The Strategic Plan defines the roadmap that will guide our development, our contribution to the territory, and our capacity to continue creating value in the economic, social, and environmental fields," says the president of the APBA, Gerardo Landaluce, who emphasizes the participatory and rigorous nature of the process and its aspiration for the ports managed by the institution to "consolidate their growth on bases of competitiveness and resilience." The initial diagnosis explains why the APBA deemed it essential to update its planning. Maritime trade maintains a growth path that opens opportunities, but the board has shifted in all directions. The European trading scheme for emission allowances (ETS) is identified in the analysis as a threat, as it could be diverting traffic from Algeciras to non-community ports like Tangier Med, while investment in new facilities in North Africa, with Nador West as an example, raises competition for transshipment traffic. This is compounded by the reconfiguration of energy routes, with sanctions on Russia and an increase in European imports from the Gulf, the gradual opening of Arctic routes that could lessen the weight of traditional corridors like the Strait, and changes in alliances among shipping companies. In this last area, the plan includes some favorable news: the Bay of Algeciras has been selected as a hub by the Gemini alliance, although Maersk's presence on both sides of the Strait keeps Tangier Med as a direct competitor in transshipment. In the face of this scenario, the APBA formulates an ambitious vision: to be the leading intercontinental logistics platform and port and intermodal node in southern Europe, enhancing value-added activities and energy transition, and establishing itself as a center of excellence in sustainable and innovative maritime and port services. The strategic map is structured around three major lines of transformation. The first focuses on growth based on improving competitiveness, paying attention to operational efficiency, digital transformation, innovation, intermodality, optimizing existing infrastructure, and developing long-term actions. The second is oriented towards decarbonization and proactive environmental management, with measures related to energy transition, reducing environmental impact, protecting biodiversity, and adapting to climate change. The third is directed towards institutional strengthening with social commitment, with special attention to the port-city relationship, attracting investments, territorial cohesion, and internal management capacity. These three lines are developed through three strategic dimensions: clients and society, processes, and capabilities and resources. Based on them, the plan groups 14 strategic objectives that order the priorities of the APBA. Thus, the plan seeks to move from a general statement of intentions to a measurable action system, with tactical objectives, operational objectives, responsible areas, and monitoring indicators. The first strategic block is oriented towards clients and society. In this area, the APBA seeks to bring the ports closer to the citizens, generate shared value, and strengthen collaboration with local agents. This goal translates into actions aimed at improving citizens' perception of the impact of the ports and the management of the Port Authority, enabling areas and port spaces for the service of the citizens, increasing participation in port-city interaction activities, and boosting the cruise sector. The port-city relationship occupies a central space in the new planning. The port is a key infrastructure for the economy of the Campo de Gibraltar, but its technical, logistical, and industrial activity can seem distant from the daily life of the citizens. The plan proposes a more transparent and close relationship, based on generating social value, opening spaces, disseminating port activities, and improving urban integration. This line appears connected with projects such as the Maritime Lake of Algeciras and the anticipation of making new public port domain surfaces available to citizens. The Maritime Lake of Algeciras is among the projects included in the plan's goals, with a horizon of 2027. Its presence in the planning responds to the will to improve the connection between the city and the port, organize spaces for citizen use, and expand the social dimension of port activities. The strategy does not present the port-city integration as an accessory element but as part of the social legitimacy of the port and its contribution to the environment. Tarifa has a specific treatment within the APBA strategy. The plan aims to promote the development of the Port of Tarifa adapted to its environment, improving its operational capacity and establishing a closer relationship with the city. The uniqueness of the Tarifa port, linked to passenger traffic and the connection with Tangier Ville, requires differentiated planning compared to Algeciras. The roadmap contemplates its evolution within a common strategy of the APBA, but addressing its urban, operational, and environmental characteristics. The institutional projection and international presence of the Bay of Algeciras Port constitute another priority. The plan proposes strengthening the capacity for institutional influence, projecting the APBA brand globally, and capturing key traffic through commercial action. This orientation responds to a context in which ports compete for traffic, investments, services, and positioning within global logistics chains. The APBA seeks to maintain an active role in forums, networks, and spaces where the priorities of maritime transport, logistics, and energy are defined. Attracting investments appears as a goal directly linked to the development of the Campo de Gibraltar. The Port Authority aims to enhance the arrival of logistical and value-added projects that favor the anchoring of cargo and the generation of socioeconomic activity in the environment. This line is particularly relevant because the port is not conceived solely as a thoroughfare infrastructure but as a platform capable of driving industrial, logistical, energy, and service activities. Innovation is incorporated as another axis of action. The plan defines the objective of consolidating the Bay of Algeciras Port as a systematic innovative port, channeling innovation as a key business process and involving sectors of the blue economy. To this end, it aims to systematize innovation management, consolidate an open innovation ecosystem, project the port's brand as a technologically advanced enclave, and increase the innovative culture within the organization. This innovation is not limited to incorporating digital tools. The Strategic Plan presents it as a way to improve processes, services, internal capabilities, and relationships with the port ecosystem. The APBA seeks for innovation to be part of the ordinary activities of the port and to be linked to operational efficiency, sustainability, security, data management, training, and collaboration with companies, institutions, and knowledge agents. The second strategic block focuses on processes. In this section, the APBA aims to establish itself as a safe, protected, and resilient port, capable of ensuring the continuity of essential services in a context of physical, natural, and cyber threats. The plan includes port protection, industrial security, cybersecurity, circulation security, and the capacity to respond to incidents. The strategic condition of the Bay of Algeciras Port requires comprehensive management of these risks. The plan proposes improving the distribution and utilization of land, sea, and air space to raise operational efficiency and ensure ordered, planned, and future demand-adapted growth. The plan includes actions linked to the capacity for container traffic, passenger traffic, road accesses, infrastructure reliability, increasing concessioned surface area, urban planning of public port domain, and enabling airspace for drone use. Operational efficiency occupies a relevant place in the strategy. The APBA proposes agile, advanced, coordinated port operations based on reliable predictions and prescriptions in real-time. The goal is to enhance efficiency in the key areas of the port, reduce waits and downtime, improve the traceability of operations, decrease congestion caused by heavy traffic, increase the efficiency of port and commercial services, expedite border controls and inspections, and establish a new governance model for Algeciras-Tangier Med road traffic. This vision of a more agile port involves more precise coordination between the agents involved in the logistics chain. Terminals, shipping companies, transporters, port services, administrations, and operators require reliable information and systems capable of anticipating needs. Technology appears as support for ordering flows, managing data, and reducing inefficiencies, but the plan links that digitalization to a real improvement in service. Proactive environmental management constitutes a main centerpiece of the plan. The APBA aims to preserve the natural environment, minimize resource consumption, reduce waste generation, and adapt the ports to climate change. The strategy includes updating environmental management tools, engaging concessionaires and service providers, monitoring environmental impact, protecting biodiversity, reducing the water footprint, and improving waste management. The Bay of Algeciras is a space where port activity, industry, maritime traffic, urban environments, and environmental values coincide. The strategy recognizes this complexity and proposes integrated environmental management in port planning. Sustainability is not only associated with reducing emissions but also with biodiversity, resource consumption, waste management, climate adaptation, and monitoring the impact of activity. The third strategic block addresses capacities and resources. In this area, the APBA aims to strengthen its internal management capacity through standardization and optimization of processes, consolidating a workforce aligned with needs, training, diversity, inclusion, and improving job satisfaction. The plan links the future of the ports not only to infrastructures but also to the internal capacity of the organization to execute the strategy. The training of human capital appears as a necessary condition to tackle new technological, environmental, and operational challenges. The plan includes training the staff in new technologies and promoting an organization prepared to work with digital systems, data, management methodologies, and more coordinated processes. The strategy also incorporates labor inclusion and diversity as part of the APBA's social commitment. Digital infrastructure is another foundation of the plan. The Port Authority aims to consolidate a robust, secure, and scalable technological platform, endowed with sufficient resources to expedite the digital transformation of the APBA and its port community. This line includes developing advanced technological infrastructure, a TI governance framework, resource availability, and digitalizing information related to port infrastructures and assets. Digitalization has a transversal role. It correlates with real-time operations, traceability, security, coordination with the port community, administrative management, infrastructure maintenance, and the capacity to anticipate needs. In a port of the scale and complexity of Algeciras, the efficient use of information can have a direct impact on productivity, reliability, and service quality. The development of new port infrastructures is proposed under criteria linking demand and supply, and with a proactive reduction of environmental impact. The plan includes the approval of new Master Plans and the commissioning of actions considered strategic. Among the goals is the Maritime Lake of Algeciras by 2027, the new maritime station of Algeciras, and the berths at La Galera by 2032, and Phase B of the Isla Verde Exterior container terminal by 2030. Phase B of Isla Verde Exterior is linked to the future capacity of the port in container traffic. Algeciras maintains a relevant position in major international maritime routes and requires infrastructures adapted to the needs of shipping companies and terminals. The planning of this phase is included in the strategy of competitive growth and the need to organize port supply according to evolving demand. The new maritime station of Algeciras and the berths of La Galera are part of the planning associated with passenger and vehicle traffic. The maritime connection with Morocco is an essential activity for the ports managed by the APBA, and the plan includes actions aimed at improving operational capacity, organizing flows, and the quality of service. Rail intermodality acquires a specific role within the strategy. The plan aims to promote intermodal transport chains to improve the port's competitiveness in import-export traffic and maximize its operational and environmental efficiency. Among the included actions are the expansion of the railway terminals of the port T1 and T2, the increase of railway container traffic, and the commissioning of the Algeciras-Zaragoza rail highway in 2028. The railway is presented as a tool to expand the port's logistical projection into the peninsular and European interior. Improving land connectivity would strengthen import-export traffic, reduce logistics costs, and improve the environmental efficiency of transport chains. For Algeciras, railway development is one of the necessary conditions to complement its role as a major international maritime node with greater land connection capacity. The energy transition occupies one of the most relevant spaces of the Strategic Plan. The APBA aims to maintain its commitment to the decarbonization of transport and promote the port as a Green Energy Hub reference in the Mediterranean. This line includes energy efficiency, renewable energy production, electrification of port activity, low-carbon alternative fuels, and the development of projects linked to new energy supplies. The Strategic Plan includes specific targets regarding emission reduction. The APBA aims to reduce by 2030 70% of greenhouse gas emissions associated with its direct and indirect activity in scopes 1 and 2 of the GHG Protocol, using 2019 as a reference. It also contemplates a 50% reduction of emissions included in scope 3 of the GHG Protocol of the ports managed by the APBA, using 2018 as a reference. These targets are part of a broader strategy of electrification, energy efficiency, and adaptation to new fuels. The launch of a 100% electric ferry service between Tarifa and Tangier Ville in 2027 is among the goals of the plan. This action is part of the strategy for decarbonizing maritime traffic and Tarifa's role as a connection port with Morocco. The initiative combines maritime mobility, energy transition, and service improvement on one of the relevant routes of the Strait. The Green Energy Hub Algeciras Bay appears as one of the energy investments of the Strategic Plan. Planning contemplates the realization, by 2030, of a committed investment of 3 billion euros in the production and storage of new fuels in the municipalities of the Bay. The strategy aims to position the port environment as a platform for new fuels, energy supply to ships, and logistic chains associated with decarbonization. The plan also considers multiplying the supply of LNG and bio-LNG, as well as enabling new fuels like methanol and ammonia before 2030. These actions respond to the change that international maritime transport is undergoing, where shipping companies and operators must adapt their fleets and operations to new environmental demands. The capacity to offer supply alternatives can influence the competitive position of ports in the coming years. The Strategic Plan also incorporates goals related to the growth of specific traffics. Among them are 875,000 TEUs of import-export containers and 4.6 million TEUs of transshipment by 2030, as well as 800,000 units of rolling traffic that same year. The plan also aims to achieve 10 cruise calls in 2030, within the line directed at boosting this sector. The new planning aligns with the Strategic Framework of the Port System of General Interest, the mandatory reference guide from Ports of the State for the planning of the 46 Spanish ports of general interest, and with the European Ports Strategy presented in March 2026, recognizing the role of ports as strategic infrastructures by concentrating around 74% of community foreign trade. With dated goals and monitoring indicators, the degree of compliance with the plan will be the real thermometer of the ambition presented this Thursday before the Campo de Gibraltar. The Strategic Plan 2030 with a vision for 2040 proposes, ultimately, an ordered transformation of the ports of Algeciras and Tarifa. The APBA seeks to maintain its role in international maritime routes, improve the competitiveness of its operations, increase land connectivity, develop new infrastructures, accelerate the energy transition, strengthen its digital capacity, improve environmental management, and expand its relationship with citizens. Share

Share GASNAM has presented the 2026 edition of the Observatory for the Decarbonization of Transport, prepared in collaboration with PwC, which analyzes the level of compliance that the Spanish maritime sector could achieve against the regulatory goals for 2030 and 2040. The report concludes that the transition is "formally achievable," although it will require, as stated in the document itself, "a very high investment effort and close coordination between shipowners and energy operators." The study describes a regulatory framework of singular complexity, structured around the transposition of the RED III Directive and the FuelEU Maritime Regulation, to which is added the gradual entry of the sector into the European Union's emissions trading system (ETS), although the latter is beyond the scope of the analysis. RED III falls on the fuel supplier and applies to cabotage traffic, while FuelEU Maritime obligates the shipowner and operates over the entire fleet, requiring close synchronization between the supply of fuels and the rate of vessel renewal. Regarding the starting point, the document recalls that around 80% of the world's goods are transported by sea and divides the Spanish sector into three segments: goods, passengers/ferries, and cruises. Freight transport accounts for the largest part of fuel consumption, while passengers and cruises have shown higher growth rates than GDP, with the Tangier-Algeciras connection among the most intense international routes and the lines to the Balearic Islands as the main benchmark for cabotage. In the allocation between the two types of navigation, the analysis attributes around 19% of the fuel supplied to freight transport to cabotage, 80% to ferries—due to the weight of island connections—and 20% to cruises. Natural gas, in its fossil and renewable variants, appears as the central vector of the compliance pathway in the short and medium term. The document indicates that its consumption has quadrupled between 2023 and 2025 and doubled between 2024 and 2025, in line with the order book for dual-fuel vessels. In 2025, LNG and bioLNG consumption in Spanish ports is around 8 TWh, of which 12% corresponds to bioLNG. In the projected scenario for 2030, the analysis calculates that the level of compliance would exceed the minimum requirements: against a target of a 6% reduction in emissions under FuelEU Maritime, the projection reaches 9.70%; against 10% of the RED III, 12.5%; and against 7% of minimum renewable penetration, 7.31%. The scenario supports this result due to the saturation of the limit of 1.7% allowed for biofuels in Annex IX part B and a still nascent incorporation of renewable methanol and ammonia, concentrated in vessels already prepared for these fuels. By 2040, the framework tightens substantially—the targets rise to 31% under FuelEU Maritime, 31.5% under RED III, and 20% of renewable penetration—and the report projects that the compliance scenario would exceed these, at 35.41%, 32.78%, and 24.63% respectively. The document warns, however, that the rate of renewal of the cabotage fleet towards natural gas may not be sufficient to absorb this effort on its own, so it considers biofuels from Annex IX part A—despite not being cost-competitive in that horizon—and a growing role for renewable ammonia, which the study predicts will be the most prominent vector by 2040 and 2050 as it does not require biogenic CO₂ in its production, unlike renewable methanol. The report also quantifies a compliance cost over a scenario of continuity of the current mix, which is more pronounced in 2040 than in 2030, because lower carbon footprint alternatives continue to be more expensive than conventional fuels even when incorporating the cost of CO₂ emissions. Among the identified risks, the document points to the possible displacement of international maritime traffic towards non-EU ports not subject to the same regulatory demands, especially in transshipment traffic and on routes with alternative stops in North Africa or the eastern Mediterranean, with the consequent impact on the competitiveness of the Spanish and European port system. The study also captures the position of sector operators, who demand that the design of penalties for non-compliance maintain a predictable price signal and that the revenues derived from these mechanisms be reinvested in the decarbonization of the sector. In the industrial realm, the report attributes to Spain a competitive advantage due to its regasification capacity, the largest in Europe, and its port network, capable of receiving, storing, and redistributing natural gas and, in the medium term, converting to multimolecular infrastructures capable of channeling renewable ammonia. The document recalls that the average lifespan of a vessel is about 20 years and that the time between the decision to acquire it and its entry into service is three to five years, which gives the investment decisions of the coming years a decisive weight on the achievement of the objectives for 2040 and 2050. GASNAM presents the Observatory as a tool for ongoing monitoring that will be updated as the compliance calendar progresses, set from 2027, to contrast the hypotheses of the projected scenario with the actual deployment of infrastructures, production capacity, and availability of renewable fuels in Spanish and Portuguese ports. Share

Il sistema europeo Ets, (Emission trading system), il balzello sulle emissioni che alterano il clima, torna al centro del dibattito economico e portuale, e lo fa con toni sempre più netti. A Cagliari, nel convegno organizzato dai Riformatori sardi dal titolo “Costi ed Ets: il mare ci separa sempre di più”, istituzioni e rappresentanti del settore logistico hanno lanciato un allarme condiviso: la tassazione sulle emissioni rischia di trasformarsi in un freno strutturale alla competitività della Sardegna. A sollevare il tema con maggiore forza è il presidente dell’Autorità di sistema portuale del Mare di Sardegna, Domenico Bagalà, che punta il dito contro l’attuale assetto del meccanismo europeo. "L’Ets ha un peso determinante sul costo del trasporto e la mia proposta, già sul tavolo dell’Unione europea, sarà quella di arrivare a un’esenzione di questa odiosa tassa per le isole maggiori", ha dichiarato Bagalà. L’obiettivo, secondo il presidente dell’Authority, è intervenire già nella prossima revisione del sistema: "Credo che il 15 luglio, quando la Commissione Ue presenterà una riforma del sistema di scambio di quote di emissione, ci possa essere l’occasione per una variante che salvi almeno Sicilia e Sardegna". Un passaggio che si inserisce in un quadro economico definito critico. Secondo uno studio citato dallo stesso Bagalà, l’impatto dell’Ets sul Pil isolano arriverebbe fino al 36%. "Siamo la regione più penalizzata, come al solito", ha aggiunto. Il nodo centrale resta la concorrenza tra porti. Il caso del Porto Canale di Cagliari viene indicato come emblematico: la struttura, ancora in fase di rilancio, avrebbe raggiunto quasi 280 mila teus con una crescita del 36% nell’ultimo anno, ma soffrirebbe la competizione diretta con scali non soggetti agli stessi costi ambientali. "Il punto è che l’Ets incide tantissimo", ha spiegato Bagalà. "Una nave che venisse da Mumbai per fare transhipment a Cagliari e poi proseguire verso la Tunisia pagherebbe una quota significativa del sistema Ets nelle due tratte. Se lo fa a Tangeri paga zero. Questo non ci mette in condizione di fare una concorrenza reale". Dalla Sardegna alla Liguria: “Siamo contrari” Nel corso del confronto è intervenuto anche Michele Cossa, dei Riformatori sardi, che ha allargato la prospettiva al peso complessivo dei costi marittimi per l’Isola. "Il mare non è un elemento neutro: per la Sardegna rappresenta una vera strozzatura economica", ha affermato. Cossa ha ricordato come sia stata presentata una proposta di legge nazionale per destinare parte degli introiti Ets a misure di compensazione per le isole, e ha sottolineato la necessità di un tavolo stabile tra Sardegna e Liguria per monitorare gli effetti del sistema. Sullo stesso fronte si è espresso il presidente della Regione Liguria, Marco Bucci, che ha contestato l’impostazione generale del meccanismo europeo. "Questa tassa, definita ambientale, è un problema per tutti", ha detto. "Tutto lo shipping mondiale rappresenta circa il 2,5% delle emissioni globali di CO2, eppure viene tassato in modo significativo". Bucci ha poi richiamato il peso strategico del trasporto marittimo nell’economia globale: "Le navi trasportano l’85% delle merci mondiali. Senza il sistema portuale, il mondo si fermerebbe in pochi giorni". Da qui la posizione netta: "Siamo totalmente contrari a questo sistema e faremo tutto il possibile perché in Europa venga cambiata la decisione". Il governatore ligure ha infine allargato il ragionamento alla dimensione turistica, sottolineando la connessione tra trasporti e sviluppo territoriale: "Il turismo della Sardegna è fondamentale e va sostenuto, perché ha ricadute occupazionali importanti, simili a quelle della Liguria".