The European Parliament’s negotiators and the Council on Monday reached a deal on the requirements for Alternative Fuel Infrastructure, the so-called “AFIR”.

In line with the agreement, 2030 will be the deadline for TEN-T ports to have shore side electricity infrastructure in place to serve the demand from container and passenger ships. The new legislation also introduces a demand-based requirement for the provision of liquefied methane (often referred to as LNG) by 2025, providing legal and investment certainty for ports.

The greening of shipping is a priority for ports in Europe. To realise the greening ambitions for shipping, both during navigation and at berth, both ships and shoreside actors must get ready. Along with facilitating the provision of bunkering infrastructure for future fuels, the deployment of onshore power supply infrastructure is an important pillar for reducing emissions at berth in ports.

Whereas ESPO is convinced that the use and deployment of alternative fuels and shore side electricity (SSE, also known as OPS) will help make the green transition a reality, shore side electricity should not be seen as an end in itself.

ESPO is very much in favour of the flexibility provided for ports in deploying shore side electricity in key locations in the port, prioritising the berths and terminals where emissions can be reduced the most. Europe’s ports therefore hope that the agreed-upon recital making such prioritisation possible will be well considered in the implementation.

In addition, ESPO welcomes that the new Regulation is not interfering with the governance models of the different European ports when it comes to defining the responsibilities of the different stakeholders.

Moreover, ESPO believes that the huge investments that must be made in ports to meet the new AFIR requirements can only be realised if they come with significant public funding instruments which are fit for purpose. Installing and providing OPS infrastructure remains a complex and costly exercise, with a limited and slow return on investment for the managing body. Since the price tag will be an important element in the decision of the shipping lines to use OPS, ESPO also strongly calls for the introduction of an EU-wide permanent tax exemption for shore side electricity in Article 15 of the proposal for a reviewed Energy Taxation Directive.

Finally, the onshore power investments in ports will only deliver and make sense if the infrastructure is well used. ESPO therefore welcomes that the agreement on FuelEU Maritime, reached last week, introduces a requirement for ships to use shore side electricity at berth in TEN-T ports as well as in other ports which installed this infrastructure starting in 2030. These requirements are a precondition for effective emission reductions during navigation and at berth, and must be robustly implemented and enforced as soon as possible. Since many ports in Europe will have shore side electricity available before 2030, ESPO very much hopes for the engagement of shipping lines to use shore side electricity when available before 2030.

“We welcome this agreement on AFIR, above all since for the first time the AFIR requirements are accompanied by a legislative framework that regulates the use of the infrastructure that has to be deployed in ports. It is now important for ports to sit together with all relevant stakeholders including the shipping lines to make quick progress ahead of 2030. It is essential for both EU and national authorities to foresee the adequate funding schemes and for ports to submit their projects”, says ESPO Secretary General Isabelle Ryckbost.

ESPO will continue to work closely with EU policymakers in the implementation and enforcement of AFIR and FuelEU Maritime to make the greening of shipping a reality.

The Transport Council on the 5th December reached a provisional agreement on the review of the trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) guidelines of 2013.

The European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO) welcomes the text of the Council General Approach, since it clearly backs the Commission’s approach to lift the importance of the maritime dimension and strengthen the role of ports within the framework of Europe’s TEN-T policy.

While the Commission proposal already recognizes the role of Europe’s maritime ports as cross-border multimodal nodes which serve not only as transport hubs, but also as gateways for trade, industrial clusters and in particular energy hubs, the Council further strengthens this approach by introducing a new criterion to become a comprehensive TEN-T port.

Following the Council, on top of the current volume criterion (0.1% of the EU total volume of port cargo), a port can also be part of the comprehensive network if “its total annual cargo volume (bulk and non-bulk) exceeds 500.000 tonnes and its contribution to the diversification of EU energy supplies and to the acceleration of the roll-out of renewable energies is one of the main activities of the port”.

“Currently the importance of a port in TEN-T is measured on the basis of tonnes and TEU. We welcome the proposal of the Council to also consider the role ports are playing in energy diversification and the roll out of renewables. On average 40% of the commodities going through Europe’s ports are sources of energy. Ports play an increasingly important role in ensuring both the supply of energy and the acceleration of the energy transition. This important role certain ports are playing cannot always be measured in tonnes or TEU. Yet it is essential to consider these ports in the TEN-T, being part of a critical and important supply chain,” says ESPO’s Secretary General Isabelle Ryckbost.

Looking at the many amendments tabled in the Transport committee of the European Parliament supporting this more multidimensional and strategic role of ports, ESPO hopes that this criterion will also be integrated in the compromises of the Parliament and be part of the final text.

With regards to the rail requirements agreed in the Council, ESPO believes that further steps can be made to ensure a better last mile connectivity to ports while respecting the specificity of port-rail systems. The complexity of rail infrastructure and heterogeneity of its governance inside European ports makes it necessary to adopt the roll-out of rail requirements accordingly.

“We hope that the Parliament can play a role in finding a suitable compromise between the Commission proposal and the Council text agreed on Monday,” adds Isabelle Ryckbost.

ESPO welcomes the reference made to pipelines both in the recitals of the agreed Council text as well as in multiple amendments tabled by the Parliament.

For Europe’s ports, pipelines will increasingly play an essential role in the implementation of Europe’s decarbonisation agenda and will be a necessary mode of transport for new energies.

The Transport Committee of the European Parliament will be discussing the 1872 amendments on the Commission proposal on Thursday morning, 8 December.

European ports remain committed to work with both the Commission, the Parliament and the Council in further explaining the role ports play and can play in TEN-T.

The text of the Council General Approach can be found here.