The members of the European Tugowners Association (ETA) met again in Denmark for its 61st Annual General Meeting. This year, the event was held in Helsingør and was kindly hosted by ETA local member Svitzer. The Annual General Meeting took place at the fantastic Marienlyst Hotel were 140 delegates gathered to discuss the present and future of the towage industry and reinforce the bonds of friendship within the Association.
The Executive Committee and the Annual General Meeting delegates reviewed the Secretariat´s work carried out during the last 12 months and discussed the current affairs affecting the towage sector, like the impact the inclusion of shipping emissions in the European Emissions Trading System (ETS) is causing, especially in the peripheric ports of the EU. The ETA delegates welcomed the new full members SMS Towage and Nemeca Z as well, and two new associate members, Berg Propulsion and AST Reygar. With the addition of this new members ETA reaches the number of 81 full members and 45 associate ones.
The four days event was full of activities organized not only to foster the discussions on the Association and the sector´s future, but also designed to reinforce the business and personal relations among ETA members. This year was quite special as the traditional gala dinner took place in the Kronborg castle, a Unesco World Heritage site with five centuries of history, which has hosted kings and inspired Shakespeare´s Hamlet.
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In this edition, the ETA Conference had as theme ‘The impact of ETS now and in the future’ and delved into the maritime sector´s experience and future expectations concerning the application of EU Emissions Trading System (ETS). The speakers and attendants debated on the different ways that this legislation is affecting shipping companies and ports. Thus, Luis Núñez Vera (Port of Algeciras) described the negative impact on the port traffics that the inclusion of shipping emissions in the ETS has caused. This could provoke the creation of carbon/tax havens in non-EU ports, affecting the competitiviness of peripheric terminals like Algeciras. Alberto Rossi (Assarmatori) and Nina Porst (Danish Shipping) debated on the effects the implementation of policies like the ETS and Fuel EU Maritime are causing in both Italy and Denmark, and the need to design a legislation that considers the different conditions and contexts in which the shipping sector operates. Dirk Degroote (Cognauship) gave a snapshot of the measures the inland water transport industry is implementing in order to reduce its emissions, comply with EU legislation and remain competitive. Gijsbert de Jong (Bureau Veritas) analyzed the impact of a potential extension of the ETS and Monitor, Reporting and Verification Regulation (MRV) to include smaller boats like tugboats. The future inclusion of offshore ships could mean that those tugboats engaged in offshore activities could fall under the scope of this legislation. Click on the names to download the presentations.
The ETA Secretariat wants to thank the host company, Svitzer, for its avid assistance which made this 61st Annual Meeting another success. The Secretariat also wants to extend its deepest gratitude to the sponsors for their generous contribution.
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