From January 1, 2025, the FuelEU Maritime regulation officially takes effect, requiring ships to reduce their \u201cwell-to-wake\u201d greenhouse gas intensity by 2% compared to the 2020 baseline, with targets rising progressively until 2050. As a result, \u201cgreen\u201d costs\u2014including scarce alternative fuels, compliance fees, verification expenses, and carbon-related surcharges\u2014are now clearly reflected in the invoices issued by carriers and shippers.<\/p>\n
FuelEU does not mandate the use of any specific fuel. Instead, it allows operators to choose the optimal combination of solutions\u2014such as blended biofuels, LNG\/bio-LNG, wind-assisted propulsion, or operational optimization\u2014as long as the required emission intensity is achieved. In practice, on major European trade lanes, many carriers have already begun introducing separate \u201cGreen Compliance Surcharges\u201d rather than incorporating all environmental costs into traditional bunker surcharges.<\/p>\n
At the same time, the EU ETS for maritime shipping continues to add financial pressure. By September 30, 2025, carriers must purchase EUA allowances covering 40% of their 2024 emissions. This will rise to 70% for 2025 emissions (reported in 2026) and 100% from 2027 onward. This means shippers using services calling at EU ports will face a dual cost burden: green fuel premiums plus carbon compliance costs.<\/p>\n
Against this backdrop, the \u201cpooling\u201d mechanism is viewed as a potential relief measure. In essence, pooling allows a fleet\u2014or a group of carriers\u2014to combine compliance scores: vessels with surplus performance (emissions below the required threshold) can compensate for vessels with deficits, as long as the system remains transparent and third-party verified. This creates flexibility for companies with large fleets or early investments in green technologies to balance risks across their operations and avoid penalties.<\/p>\n
However, pooling is not a magic solution. Its effectiveness depends heavily on the quality of emissions data for each vessel, the contractual allocation of rights and liabilities between pool members, and the seasonal or port-specific availability of green fuels. Any disruption affecting a well-performing vessel may drag the entire pool below compliance and trigger collective penalties. Therefore, clear exit rights, \u201cmake-good\u201d clauses, and third-party auditing are essential components of any pooling arrangement.<\/p>\n
For international shipping contracts, shippers and carriers should consider three key elements: a transparent green surcharge formula, a well-defined carbon risk-sharing mechanism, and detailed pooling provisions. For example, green surcharges should be calculated separately based on the actual price gap between conventional and green fuels on the relevant trade lane; a \u201ccap & collar\u201d model can help prevent extreme price swings. A carbon risk-sharing clause should specify how FuelEU and ETS costs are allocated and whether renegotiation is triggered when EUA prices exceed a certain threshold. Pooling terms should clarify whether the pool is internal or joint, how surplus\/deficit points are distributed, penalties for non-performance, data verification standards, and rights to withdraw from the pool.<\/p>\n
For Vietnamese shippers, the implication is clear: you should prepare three cost scenarios (conservative \u2013 base \u2013 optimistic) for EU-related trade lanes, including variables such as blending ratios of green fuels, EUA price ranges, and risks of pool underperformance. Securing a portion of green fuel supply through collective procurement agreements or Green Fuel Purchase Agreements, combined with pooling, may help stabilize compliance points over a 12\u201324-month cycle.<\/p>\n
In conclusion, FuelEU 2025 has transformed \u201cgreen costs\u201d from a concept into a line item on shipping invoices. The strategic balance between \u201cbuying compliance\u201d (investing in green fuels and efficient vessels) and \u201ccreating compliance\u201d (through pooling, surcharges, or flexible contract terms) will determine each shipper\u2019s cost competitiveness in the coming years. Pooling is a powerful tool\u2014but only when supported by accurate data, strong contract design, and disciplined execution. Shippers should begin preparing now by standardizing operational data, developing cost models, and negotiating clear surcharge and risk-sharing clauses to stay in control at the negotiating table.<\/p>\n
Source: https:\/\/vlr.vn<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
T\u1eeb ng\u00e0y 1\/1\/2025, quy \u0111\u1ecbnh FuelEU Maritime ch\u00ednh th\u1ee9c c\u00f3 hi\u1ec7u l\u1ef1c, \u00e1p chu\u1ea9n gi\u1ea3m c\u01b0\u1eddng \u0111\u1ed9 ph\u00e1t th\u1ea3i \u201cwell-to-wake\u201d \u1edf m\u1ee9c 2% so v\u1edbi \u0111\u01b0\u1eddng c\u01a1 s\u1edf n\u0103m 2020 v\u00e0 s\u1ebd t\u0103ng d\u1ea7n theo l\u1ed9 tr\u00ecnh t\u1edbi n\u0103m 2050. V\u00ec v\u1eady, chi ph\u00ed \u201cxanh\u201d nh\u01b0 nhi\u00ean li\u1ec7u s\u1ea1ch khan hi\u1ebfm, ph\u00ed tu\u00e2n th\u1ee7, ki\u1ec3m…<\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1862,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1861","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tin-thi-truong"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/agconsolidation.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1861","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/agconsolidation.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/agconsolidation.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agconsolidation.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agconsolidation.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1861"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/agconsolidation.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1861\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agconsolidation.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1862"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/agconsolidation.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1861"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agconsolidation.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1861"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agconsolidation.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1861"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}