No NOx tax exemption for cruise vessels at Norwegian ports
Cruise vessels calling at Norwegian ports will not be exempt from the NOx tax, introduced from 1st January this year, according to minister of state (statssekretær) at the Ministry of Finance, Geir Axelsen. He said that 40 per cent of Norwegian NOx emissions come from shipping and that the cruise industry was duly warned in the revised national budget for 2006, nearly one year ahead of implementation. Norwegian NOx emissions has been reduced by 7.0 per cent since 1990, but will have to be cut by another 21 per cent if Norway’s obligations under the Gothenburg protocol on reductions in air pollution are to be met.