Merchant ships calling at European ports last year were responsible for putting nearly 130 million metric tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, according to new research, Ship & Bunker reports.
Shipping emissions in 2020 stood at 117.8 million mt climbing to 126.3 million mt the following year and 128.2 million mt in 2022, the Transport & Environment analysis showed. The highest CO2 number in terms of individual ship operators belonged to box ship operator MSC (10.2m mt) with CMA CGM and Maersk at half that amount (at 5.5m mt and 5.2m mt respectively).
Emissions from the three firms amounted to around a quarter of total annual emissons last year. The increase is in line with a return to pre-pandemic levels of economic activity.
The NGO, which campaigns for a reduction in emissions across all forms of transport, said: "Cruise ship emissions in 2022 were almost double what they were last year after a year of disruptions to international travel."
A rise in liquified natural gas shipments related to the imposition of European sanctions on Russian oil also contributed to the rise in seaborne emissions, T&E said.