The EU's new regulation on marine fuels came into effect on January 1, 2025. According to this, commercial ships over 5000 gross registered tons operating in EU ports must reduce their emissions, otherwise they face sanctions, which may include fines or revocation of their permits.

Although this measure is expected to significantly reduce marine pollution, it may increase shipping costs due to the higher price of compliant fuels and possible ship modifications. These additional costs may be passed on to consumers, resulting in higher prices for goods transported by sea.

We contacted several shipping companies regarding the mentioned regulation to see how the change currently affects them. Some have already started to modify their fleet, some have gradually incorporated the additional costs into their service fees, but for everyone, the question is how they can secure compliant fuel at a good price in the long term.

Of course, maritime cargo transportation continues to operate "smoothly" regardless of this circumstance, but the current increase in the price of compliant fuel may result in an increase in sea freight rates and, indirectly, in rail and air cargo pricing as well.

The full European Union report is available in Hungarian and English by clicking on the link below:

https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legalcontent/HU/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32015R0757