On January 10th, the " Fuel EU Maritime & Carbon Tax, from Policy, Analysit to Response " seminar was held in Shanghai, co - organized by Shanghai Maritime University, the Baltic and International Maritime Council (BIMCO), China Shipowners' Association, and Maritime China magazine. Prof. Ruan Wei, the head of Maritime Technology Cooperation Center in Asia (MTCC Asia), attended the seminar and moderated the second panel discussion.

The seminar, with the topic of Contributing ‘China Solutions’ to Cross the ‘Carbon Threshold’, aimed to comprehensively analyze the EU shipping carbon tax fuel policy and its impacts through keynote speeches and dialogues. It also sought to jointly explore new impetus and pathways for the green transformation of the shipping industry. In the dialogue session, Prof. Ruan Wei had an in - depth exchange with representatives from BIMCO, China COSCO SHIPPING Cooperation Limited, and Stephenson Harwood, among other organizations. They jointly discussed the numerous challenges faced by shipping decarbonization in the fields of regulation and commercial contracts, providing ideas and insights for the formulation of industry response strategies.

As the most important mode of transportation in international trade, the shipping industry undertakes over 80% of the global trade volume. Currently, its carbon dioxide emissions account for about 3% of the global total. Therefore, the decarbonization and emission reduction of the shipping industry are crucial for addressing global climate issues and achieving the global carbon neutrality goal. The global decarbonization pace has significantly accelerated. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) is working hard to promote a globally unified regulatory system and has advanced the net - zero carbon emission target for international maritime vessels to around 2050. With the formal implementation of the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) legislation incorporating the shipping industry in June 2023, shipping enterprises will face the actual payment of "carbon taxes" in 2025. At the same time, the EU Maritime Fuel Regulation also came into effect on January 1, 2025.

Figure 1  Prof. Ruan Wei moderated the panel discussion

Figure 2  View of the Seminar