The EU ETS Observatory confirms the trend of declining connectivity in container traffic at European ports compared with neighboring countries

• The second results from the Observatory confirm that the trend up to September 2025 is intensifying, and include some new features such as monitoring not only ships but also containers, as well as ro-ro traffic. 
• The report coincides with the publication of the draft amendment to the directive presented by the European Commission, which acknowledges the need to introduce adjustments to the ETS design, as has been highlighted by the Observatory.  
• The Observatory’s results can be consulted on the Puertos del Estado website: https://www.puertos.es/estrategia/observatorio-ets

30-07-2026 (Puertos del Estado). The second results from the Observatory launched by Puertos del Estado to measure the impact of the EU-ETS (European Union Emission Trade System) confirm the trend already identified in the Observatory’s first report regarding the reduction in the connectivity of container traffic for long-distance services operated at EU ports compared with neighbouring countries not subject to European environmental regulations, measured in terms of the TEU-mile parameter (the capacity in TEUs of ships arriving multiplied by the distance travelled).

The new report, which includes monitoring from 2023 to March 2026, adds container tracking to ship monitoring in order to assess what happens to cargo when it reaches those ports outside the EU. It also analyses ro-ro traffic between Spain and Italy.

The disaggregated data reveal a decline in the direct connectivity of the main European ports. In the case of Northern Europe, the decrease is 5 percentage points, increasing to 18 points in the case of the Eastern Mediterranean (from 68% to 50%).

The second Observatory report coincides with the publication last Friday, 17 July, of the draft amendment to the ETS Directive by the European Commission, which acknowledges the need to introduce adjustments to the mechanism in order to avoid unintended effects on competitiveness and maritime connectivity, in line with the conclusions highlighted by the Observatory.

The objective now is to continue working with the Commission to promote measures to adjust the mechanism that prevent unintended effects on EU maritime connectivity and the competitiveness of Community ports. Among these measures, the modification of the ‘transhipment ports’ criterion stands out, which the Commission has already included in its document; as well as the introduction of a reduction factor for the percentage of emissions subject to the purchase of emission allowances, proportional to the distance travelled and the size of the vessels. The Commission’s proposal opens the door to working on a similar measure to one proposed by the Observatory, consisting of a discount for vessels operating on deep-sea routes to avoid the possible fragmentation of routes to evade the ETS and, therefore, the loss of direct EU connectivity.

The Observatory, promoted by Puertos del Estado and developed by the consortium formed by Shipping Business Consultant (SBC), the Centre for Transport Innovation (CENIT) and Nextport, aims to detect possible carbon leakage and traffic alterations in ports subject to the EU-ETS, which requires shipping companies calling at European ports to pay for their atmospheric emissions based on the vessel’s capacity and the route travelled.

The purpose of the Observatory is to raise awareness of evasive practices that have already occurred or may occur, so that it is possible to anticipate them; but also to support decision-making in the review of the EU-ETS Directive itself, which is currently underway in Brussels.

You can access the Observatory’s results here: https://www.puertos.es/estrategia/observatorio-ets.