How to use the EU ETS calculator
- Add each fuel the ship burned on EU-related activity, split into three buckets: voyages between two EU/EEA ports, voyages between an EU/EEA port and a port outside the EU, and time at berth in EU/EEA ports. These are the figures your EU MRV monitoring plan already records.
- Choose the emissions year. The share of emissions you must cover with allowances rises from 40% for 2024 to 70% for 2025 and 100% from 2026.
- Enter the EU allowance (EUA) price. One EUA covers one tonne of CO₂ equivalent. The price moves daily, so use a current quote or your hedged price.
- Tick ice class if the ship is IA, IA Super or equivalent; it may surrender 5% fewer allowances until 2030.
How the EU ETS applies to shipping
Since 1 January 2024 the EU Emissions Trading System has covered emissions from ships of 5,000 GT and above that carry cargo or passengers for commercial purposes. Offshore ships of 5,000 GT and above join from 2027. The company responsible is the ISM company: the shipowner, or the ship manager or bareboat charterer that holds the ISM Document of Compliance for the ship.
Phase-in of the surrender obligation
| Emissions year | Share surrendered | Surrender deadline |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 40% | 30 September 2025 |
| 2025 | 70% | 30 September 2026 |
| 2026 | 100% | 30 September 2027 |
| 2027 onwards | 100% | 30 September of the following year |
Verified emissions for the previous year are reported at company level by 31 March, and allowances are surrendered by 30 September. From 2026, methane (CH₄) and nitrous oxide (N₂O) are covered alongside CO₂, on a CO₂-equivalent basis. That matters most for LNG-fuelled ships, where unburned methane ("methane slip") adds to the bill. This calculator estimates CO₂ only.
Worked example
A bulk carrier trading between Egypt and the Mediterranean burns 2,400 t of HFO on voyages to and from EU ports, 300 t of HFO between EU ports, and 100 t of MGO at sea plus 90 t of MGO at berth in EU ports in 2026:
- Intra-EU: 300 × 3.114 = 934.2 t CO₂, counted in full
- EU ↔ non-EU: (2,400 × 3.114 + 100 × 3.206) = 7,794.2 t CO₂, counted at 50% = 3,897.1 t
- At berth: 90 × 3.206 = 288.5 t CO₂, counted in full
- In scope: 5,119.8 t, so 5,120 allowances for 2026. At €80 that is about €409,600, or roughly €142 per tonne of fuel burned on EU-related activity.
East Port Said and other transhipment ports
To stop container lines dodging the 100% rule with a quick call just outside the EU, Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/2297 lists East Port Said (Egypt) and Tanger Med (Morocco) as neighbouring container transhipment ports. A containership's call there does not count as a port of call, so the voyage is counted from the previous port. Calls by other ship types, and at other non-EU ports, still count normally.
Ways to reduce the ETS bill
The cheapest allowance is the one you never need. Slower steaming, hull and propeller cleaning, shorter time at berth on generators and better voyage planning all cut both the ETS bill and your IMO rating. Model a speed change with the fuel consumption calculator and check its effect on the CII rating. SENA Ship Management helps owners set up MRV monitoring and plan for ETS costs; contact our team.