EU MRV heads offshore

The EU targets offshore vessels to monitor, report and verify, and ultimately reduce, their GHG emissions. But when will this start and what size vessels are impacted?

• From 1st January 2025 offshore and general cargo vessels over 400 GT will be required to comply with EU monitoring, reporting and verification requirements (EU MRV).
• From 1st January 2027 offshore vessels over 5000 GT will be included in the EU Emission Trading System (EU ETS).
EU MRV
This regulation provides for the monitoring, reporting and verification of emissions, cargo carried, miles travelled, and time spent at sea are all reported to a central database with an annual public disclosure of data at ship level.

However, with the new amendment Regulation (EU) 2023/957, as of 1 January 2025, the EU MRV

Regulation will also apply to:
• Offshore ships above 5,000 GT
• Offshore ships and general cargo ships below 5,000 GT but not below 400 GT.
• A limited number of categories of ships are excluded, notably:
• Warships
• Naval auxiliaries
• Fish-catching or fish-processing ships
• Ships not propelled by mechanical means
• Government ships used for non-commercial purposes
We expect the European Commission will release further guidance and clarification to assist with the understanding of the scope and obligations for offshore ships under the EU MRV, as well as the EU ETS.

The EU MRV does note that a port of call is where a ship stops to load or unload cargo or to embark or disembark passengers, or the port where an offshore ship stops to relieve the crew.

As of 1 January 2024, the EU MRV regulation covers the following types of greenhouse gas emission:
• Carbon dioxide (CO2)
• Methane (CH4)
• Nitrous oxide (N2O)
Source: NorthStandard