Joint statement by European Shipowners|ECSA and Sea Europe on the European Maritime Industrial Strategy and the Sustainable Transport Investment Plan

European Shipowners|ECSA and SEA Europe – representing European shipyards and maritime equipment manufacturers – are committed to collaborating to achieve the EU climate targets and to enhance the international competitiveness of Europe’s maritime sector1.

Both associations call upon the European Commission to include the maritime sector in the European Industrial Maritime Strategy as well as in the Sustainable Transport Investment Plan. Both also call upon the European Commission to issue impactful actions.

More specifically, European Shipowners|ECSA and SEA Europe recommend:

1. Reinforcing the international competitiveness, sustainability and resilience of Europe’s maritime manufacturing sector (i.e., European shipyards and maritime equipment manufacturers) through an impactful European industrial maritime strategy, as mentioned in the Mission Letter of the Commission President to the Transport Commissioner. A more competitive European maritime manufacturing sector will also benefit the whole European maritime cluster and will be key for the achievement of the EU and IMO climate targets.

2. Maintaining an internationally competitive European shipping sector through an international regulatory and taxation level playing field.

3. Supporting European shipyards and European maritime equipment manufacturers through financial incentives that boost by encouraging demand through voluntary schemes, low- and zeroemission ships, retrofits, and clean technologies in Europe, and by incentivising investments to upgrade shipyards’ and maritime manufacturing processes to further enhance the efficiency of shipyards and maritime manufacturing processes.

4. Introducing binding obligations for the production and manufacturing of clean fuels in Europe in line with the Net Zero Industry Act objectives, through the Sustainable Transport Investment Plan. Certainty on clean fuels will also promote investments in Europe’s maritime manufacturing industry.

5. Facilitating access to finance – through both public funding and private financing – for maritime investments in support of the energy and digital transition. In particular, EU ETS revenues – both at European and national levels – should be better channelled to the energy transition of the maritime sector, but also to support investments in clean fuels, in boosting demand for low- and zeroemission ships and technologies in Europe, and in supporting the upgrade of the shipyard and maritime manufacturing processes. Different financing and funding tools i.a. involving banking finance, guarantees, capital markets and private investors should facilitate better risk sharing of innovative and transitional projects.

An internationally competitive European maritime manufacturing industry (shipyards and maritime equipment manufacturers) is beneficial to an internationally competitive European shipping, as an internationally competitive European shipping is beneficial to an internationally competitive European maritime manufacturing industry.

1
For the sake of this joint declaration, European maritime sector comprises European shipowners, European shipyards and European maritime equipment manufacturers.