ICIS: EU states reject proposed marine LNG infrastructure rule

A 2020 target to roll out LNG infrastructure across all of the EU’s core maritime ports has been rejected by member states, according to EU officials on 30 September.

The target date as well as the infrastructure were both seen as “critical” by the European Commission for industry to meet tightening marine emission controls.

The date has now been pushed back by five years and member states have gained “the flexibility to choose themselves which ports are to be equipped,” European Commission official Hugues Van Honacker told ICIS.

Rules around the established low sulphur directive have not changed, Van Honacker emphasised, meaning that from the beginning of next year in northern Europe, it will be forbidden to use marine fuels with a sulphur content of more than 0.1% – down from 1% currently. From 2020, the rule is slated to apply across the EU.
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