Below is a translated copy of an article published by Søfart, 27 June 2016, Of Shipowners’ Association, www.soefart.dk
Original article click here
It will now be much more attractive to smaller ferries to switch to clean electric power, which now also have to pay only minimal electricity tax. It puts Skatteministeren up to in a new answer to parliament.
It’s Brian Mikkelsen from the Conservatives, who have raised the threshold for cost skilled shore power for ships. Back in 2014, when parliament lowered the electricity tax for large commercial ships from 83.3 cent per kWh for EU minimum rate of 0.4 cent per kWh, copied to a Swedish minimum threshold to ensure rapid EU approval of the scheme. Now is the time for the next step, says Minister of Taxation:
“I intend to propose legislation on the removal of gross tonnage limit of at least 400 tonnes of commercial ships since it could contribute to reduced emissions of CO2, NOx, SO2 and particulate matter from ships,” said Karsten Lauritzen in the new answer to parliament.
The Danish Shipowners’ Association, which already in 2014 worked to avoid the artificial minimum limit. Here are just happy that the government will now pave the way for even greener ferry services.
“It’s good that the Minister of Taxation with the announced amendments to the law will clear a large block for the green conversion of the smaller ferries. Now it suddenly becomes possible for small island and shortcut ferries to switch to electric operation, just as we see it on the larger ferries with crossing between Helsingborg and Elsinore as the latest example, “said Jakob Ullegård, director of the Danish Shipowners’ Association.
There will also welcomed the announced change in the association, which just organizes the smaller ferries that may particularly benefit from a change. Soren Adsersen are both crossing leader in Venø Færgefart in Struer, while chairman of the Small Islands Ferry company. He welcomes the news:
“It’s something we’ve been looking forward to. This means that it will be easier to implement the transition, we are already doing, ” he told Struer Folkeblad. Venø Færgefart already working for a hybrid solution, but would like to switch to full battery power – and it is now a real possibility:
“It is five to seven years into the future, but that is what we are aiming at,” says Søren Adsersen.
Overall, it’s another step forward in the direction of an ever greener ferry services in Denmark:
“Removing the border at 400 tons, so it gets a tangible effect and will help to keep Denmark at the forefront of green ferry services. Ferries depart from a Danish port every 47 seconds, and Danish ferries carrying a total of 32 million. passengers a year, so the potential is huge when our ferries will be greener, “concludes Jakob Ullegård on the big picture in the Minister’s new initiatives.