European shipowners welcomed the EU’s proposed Net-Zero Industry Act. The Act can be step-change in efforts to enhance Europe’s security and to support the energy transition of European industry, according to ECSA's release.
However, the new Act must properly recognise the strategic role of shipping for Europe’s security.
The new Industry Act aims to accelerate the decarbonisation of the European economy. As shipping is one of the most difficult to decarbonise sectors, the upscaling of affordable low- and zero-carbon fuels and technologies for the sector is key. For this reason, renewable fuels of non-biological origin (RFNBOs) should be included within the Act’s definition of ‘strategic net-zero technologies’, so that dedicated production capacity can be swiftly developed.