NYPA published its completed study on European offshore wind transmission models that will help New York head towards its 9GW by 2035 goal. The study focused on transmission and interconnection strategies, while also development and electricity rate structures in the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark, which enabled each country to lower its costs over time.
The President of the North Adriatic Sea Port Authority, Pino Musolino, recently sent a letter to key European ports inviting them to meet in Venice to discuss the economic and environmental impact of the cruise industry and to draw up guidelines for a new sustainable approach to maritime tourism.
The European Commission announced that, under the EU State aid rules, it will provide a €27.4 million investment aid to Romania’s Port of Galați, the largest sea-river port in the country. The overall investment will cost €89.9 million.
Italy gave permission to 116 rescued migrants to disembark from a coastguard ship, on 31 of July, as Interior Minister Matteo Salvini’s took a step back, after five EU countries and the Church agreed to share the responsibility of looking after the migrants.
EMSA published an infographic presenting the SafeMed project during 2018. In general, the SafeMed Project on maritime safety and prevention of pollution from ships is a European Union (EU) funded regional project run by the Regional Marine Pollution Emergency Response Centre for the Mediterranean Sea (REMPEC) on behalf of the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
The European Commission greenlights Croatian plans to support the construction and operation of a LNG terminal at Krk island, as they are in compliance with the EU state aid rules. The project will participate in the security and diversification of energy supplies.
US exports of LNG have been growing continuously and reached a new peak of 4.7 billion cubic feet per day in May 2019, according to the latest data published by the US Department of Energy’s Office of Fossil Energy. In 2019, the US became the world’s third-largest LNG exporter, averaging 4.2 Bcf/d in the first five months of the year.
The appointment of Ursula von der Leyen as the new European Commission President has made headlines this week, as she won with a strong call for environmental action that could transform Europe over the next five years. The new climate policy foresees inclusion of the maritime sector in the EU ETS, following years of contradictory negotiations.
The European Commission informed that it has authorized, under EU State aid rules, the extend of three amendments regarding the Dutch tonnage tax regime, which is now up to 31 December 2028. The three measures regard a reduced tonnage tax rate for large vessels of over 50,000 net tones, a reduced tonnage tax base for ship management and the application of tonnage tax systems to cable – laying vessels.
The European Barge Union, the European Transport Workers and IG Rivercruise signed an agreement on collaborating on measures that support equal employment in the European river cruise sector. The three participants aim to improve the working conditions on river cruise vessels, while ensuring a level playing field for the sector.
