Overview of the vessel’s costs under EU emission regulations

An alternative to using auxiliary engines to generate the power required to run the vessel's activities when moored is Cold Ironing, often known as shore-side electricity. The advantages are numerous, the most important being the emission reduction, as no fuel will be used to operate the vessel’s equipment. Although the Cold Ironing benefits are substantial, the implementation costs for both the vessel and the terminals can be significant. Despite the costs, the vessels will reduce the costs imposed by the EU, as EU ETS and FuelEU Maritime put a price on the GHG intensity. The paper examines the voyage of an 8,200 TEU container vessel on the passage Mumbai-Constanta. This passage is examined from the costs point of view in three scenarios: when the vessel burns fuel oil only, without considering EU regulations; when the vessel uses fuel oil under EU regulations; and the costs when the vessel is connected to shore-side electricity in Constanta Port under EU regulations. The results show that the costs increase by 22% when using Cold Ironing, due to the imposed regulations, vessel modification for connection to shore power, and the fact that the Cold Ironing system can be used only when the vessel is moored. Nevertheless, when using port electricity, vessels do not emit any pollutants, which is of great importance for the environment and the population living in the port vicinity.