Under the MoS, hence, where carriers or shipowners seek funding to help affray
the costs to comply with the provisions of the MARPOL Convention’s Annex VI
and Sulphur Emission Control Area requirements
46 or the costs to improve more
generally the environmental performance of their fleet, they must be able to demonstrate a particular link with EU ports or the infrastructural aspects of the MoS
priorities. For example, in the Baltic Sea Area Klaipéda-Karlshamn link project
47
some funding was used to install hydraulic device for RO-RO ferries plying the route
so as to improve the quay operability for the vessels, thus reducing emission and
improving efficiency. If the funding was merely for the fitting of the hydraulic
device, despite its needfulness to improve manoeuvrability at quays and its effectiveness in lowering emissions, that alone would not have been enough. The project
involved also a particular link to the two ports in question. The MoS Project
Application website states expressly:
Projects involving the retrofitting of fleets of vessels under one proposal or an aggregated
number of proposals and non-related to the specific maritime links are not supported. The
exhaust gas cleaning systems will be supported only on short sea shipping vessels operating
outside the [sulphur emission control] area.
48
Vessel improvements or upgrades are thus limited to the additional efforts for
environmental objectives but could not be extended to cover the full costs of
building or acquiring any vessel. Infrastructure related facilities could be
co-financed; for example,
– high water protection devices (e.g. dikes, breakwaters, locks);
– lights, buoys, beacons; ramps, jetties, signposting;
– infrastructure and facilities up to the terminal site (e.g. for temporary storage of
loading units, facilities for drivers, facilities for shore side electricity, waste
treatment facilities, terminal handling equipment);
– intermodal terminals in ports and hinterland;
– land and sea access to port, including dredging for the purpose of MoS, rail,
inland navigation and road connecting links to the TEN-T or national land
transport networks, connections to intermodal centres;
– electronic logistics management systems;
– administration and customs facilities (e.g. VTMIS,
49 reporting and information
exchange systems, administrative simplification);
– safety and security measures;
– waterways and canals to shorten sea routes;
– ways of ensuring year-round navigability, such as facilities for dredging or
icebreaking.
50
46 Which came into force on 1 January 2015.
47 2008-EU-21015-P (one of the first projects under the MoS scheme).
48 https://ec.europa.eu/inea/en/connecting-europe-facility/cef-transport/cef-transport-motorwayssea#2016%20mos; indirect access at https://ec.europa.eu/inea/en/connecting-europe-facility/ceftransport.
49 Vessel Traffic Management Information System.
50 Supra n. [48].
144
J. Chuah
the costs to comply with the provisions of the MARPOL Convention’s Annex VI
and Sulphur Emission Control Area requirements
46 or the costs to improve more
generally the environmental performance of their fleet, they must be able to demonstrate a particular link with EU ports or the infrastructural aspects of the MoS
priorities. For example, in the Baltic Sea Area Klaipéda-Karlshamn link project
47
some funding was used to install hydraulic device for RO-RO ferries plying the route
so as to improve the quay operability for the vessels, thus reducing emission and
improving efficiency. If the funding was merely for the fitting of the hydraulic
device, despite its needfulness to improve manoeuvrability at quays and its effectiveness in lowering emissions, that alone would not have been enough. The project
involved also a particular link to the two ports in question. The MoS Project
Application website states expressly:
Projects involving the retrofitting of fleets of vessels under one proposal or an aggregated
number of proposals and non-related to the specific maritime links are not supported. The
exhaust gas cleaning systems will be supported only on short sea shipping vessels operating
outside the [sulphur emission control] area.
48
Vessel improvements or upgrades are thus limited to the additional efforts for
environmental objectives but could not be extended to cover the full costs of
building or acquiring any vessel. Infrastructure related facilities could be
co-financed; for example,
– high water protection devices (e.g. dikes, breakwaters, locks);
– lights, buoys, beacons; ramps, jetties, signposting;
– infrastructure and facilities up to the terminal site (e.g. for temporary storage of
loading units, facilities for drivers, facilities for shore side electricity, waste
treatment facilities, terminal handling equipment);
– intermodal terminals in ports and hinterland;
– land and sea access to port, including dredging for the purpose of MoS, rail,
inland navigation and road connecting links to the TEN-T or national land
transport networks, connections to intermodal centres;
– electronic logistics management systems;
– administration and customs facilities (e.g. VTMIS,
49 reporting and information
exchange systems, administrative simplification);
– safety and security measures;
– waterways and canals to shorten sea routes;
– ways of ensuring year-round navigability, such as facilities for dredging or
icebreaking.
50
46 Which came into force on 1 January 2015.
47 2008-EU-21015-P (one of the first projects under the MoS scheme).
48 https://ec.europa.eu/inea/en/connecting-europe-facility/cef-transport/cef-transport-motorwayssea#2016%20mos; indirect access at https://ec.europa.eu/inea/en/connecting-europe-facility/ceftransport.
49 Vessel Traffic Management Information System.
50 Supra n. [48].
144
J. Chuah