Environment & climate

Protection of the environment and the climate is high on the political agenda, and the Danish as well as the international policy in the fields of the environment and the climate is of major importance to shipping.

The Danish Maritime Authority is striving to ensure global, balanced regulations for the shipping industry. This means, inter alia, that new requirements for the emission of nitrogen oxides and sulphur, energy efficiency and ballast water discharge are being phased in and enforced in a new manner to ensure a level playing field.

Environmental and climate requirements are important to protect human beings and nature against pollution from ships. Such requirements may also be a driver for the development of new technology. At the same time, the requirements present a challenge to the shipping industry, which is to make the necessary technology investments in an efficient manner to be able to comply with the regulations.

Formally, legislation in the environmental and climate field is the responsibility of the Ministry of the Environment and the Ministry of Energy, Utilities and Climate. The Danish Maritime Authority contributes to the work of the ministries in the maritime field - both in connection with policy development, practical implementation and enforcement. In this connection, the Danish Maritime Authority has cooperated constructively with the industry as well as with other authorities that are involved in the formation of regulations in the environmental and climate field, and this is a strong basis for affecting the policy development of the EU, United Nations' International Maritime Organization (IMO) and United Nations' Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Greenhouse gas emissions

In the EU, IMO and UNFCCC countries are considering how to monitor and regulate CO2 emissions from shipping. Find out what has been considered here.

Greenhouse gas emissions

Sulphur (SOx)

Read more about the IMO regulations on the monitoring of the sulphur content of ships' fuels.

Sulphur (Sox)

Nitrogen oxide (NOx)

Many of the world's countries have adopted regulations on reductions of ships' NOx emissions. Learn more about the regulations here.

Nitrogen oxide (NOx)

Ballast water

The purpose of the ballast water management convention is to prevent the spread of invasive species through ships' ballast water. Read about the status of the convention here.

Ballast water

Zero-Emission Shipping Mission

Denmark, Norway, and the United States have launched a mission with the aim to accelerate the green transition of global shipping.

Zero-Emission Shipping Mission

Biofuel

To meet the increasing demand for the transition of shipping from the use of conventional fuels and to achieve climate-neutral shipping, there has been an increasing need for innovative and new solutions to accomplish this goal.

Biofuel