EU ETS Shipping Cost Calculator
Work out what the EU Emissions Trading System adds to a voyage: fuel burned, multiplied by its CO2 emission factor, the share of the voyage in scope and the phase-in for the year, priced at the latest EU allowance (EUA) price.
This is an estimate for planning, not a compliance calculation or legal advice. EUA price: OilPriceAPI EU carbon allowance price (EU_CARBON_EUR). It counts CO2 only, and nothing you enter is sent to us.
Allowance price
Prefilled with €90.39 per tonne of CO2, as of November 13, 2026. Source: OilPriceAPI EU carbon allowance price (EU_CARBON_EUR), a daily reading and not an exchange settlement price. See the EU carbon price page. Change the field to the price you expect to pay.
Fuel and voyage
Fuel classes as the EU regulation lists them. A very low sulphur fuel oil takes the class of the ISO 8217 grade on its bunker delivery note.
On this voyage or port stay. Nothing is filled in for you.
100% of emissions count between two EU ports and within an EU port, 50% between an EU port and a non-EU port.
Allowances are due for 40% of 2024 emissions, 70% of 2025 emissions and 100% from 2026.
Leave blank unless you want the cost divided evenly per TEU.
Nothing you enter leaves your browser.
How the EU ETS cost of a voyage is calculated
Shipping companies buy and surrender one EU allowance for each tonne of emissions in scope. The European Commission's page on reducing emissions from the shipping sector says the system covers "all large ships (of 5 000 gross tonnage and above) entering EU ports, regardless of the flag they fly". Four steps get from fuel to cost.
1. Fuel burned to tonnes of CO2
Multiply the tonnes of each fuel by its CO2 emission factor. The calculator uses the default factors in the EU's monitoring, reporting and verification rules for ships.
| Fuel | Tonnes of CO2 per tonne of fuel | Source |
|---|---|---|
| HFO (ISO 8217 grades RME to RMK) | 3.114 | Regulation (EU) 2015/757, Annex I, as replaced by Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/2776 |
| LFO (ISO 8217 grades RMA to RMD) | 3.151 | Regulation (EU) 2015/757, Annex I, as replaced by Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/2776 |
| MDO / MGO (ISO 8217 grades DMX to DMB) | 3.206 | Regulation (EU) 2015/757, Annex I, as replaced by Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/2776 |
| LNG | 2.750 | Regulation (EU) 2015/757, Annex I, as replaced by Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/2776 |
The regulation classes oil fuels by ISO 8217 grade, not by sulphur content, so a very low sulphur fuel oil takes the factor of the grade on its bunker delivery note.
2. The share of the voyage in scope
The Commission states that the system covers:
- 50% of emissions from voyages starting or ending outside of the EU;
- 100% of emissions that occur between two EU ports and when ships are within EU ports.
The legal text is Article 3ga of Directive 2003/87/EC, added by Directive (EU) 2023/959.
3. The phase-in for the year
Article 3gb of the same Directive phases the obligation in by the year the emissions happen. Allowances for one year's emissions are surrendered the following year.
| Emissions of | Share |
|---|---|
| 2024 | 40% |
| 2025 | 70% |
| 2026 or later | 100% |
4. Allowances to cost
Multiply the allowances by the EUA price in euros per tonne of CO2. The calculator starts from the latest reading on our EU carbon price page, shown with its date, and you can type over it. For EUA futures, see the EU carbon futures API.
What changes in 2026
Emissions of 2026 are the first to need allowances in full: the phase-in share rises from 70% to 100%. The Commission also states that the EU ETS covers methane and nitrous oxide from 2026, where 2024 and 2025 covered carbon dioxide only.
What the estimate leaves out
- Methane and nitrous oxide. The estimate is CO2 only. For LNG burned in 2026 or later the gap matters most: the same regulation lists methane slip for LNG engines at 0.2% to 3.1% of fuel mass depending on engine type.
- Derogations. The rules include, for example, a 5% deduction for ice-class ships and a zero CO2 factor for the biomass fraction of a fuel that meets the EU's sustainability criteria. None is applied here.
- Ships below 5,000 gross tonnage, which the Commission's description of the scope does not include.
- Your verified figures. The obligation is set on verified emissions reported for the year, not on one voyage's fuel estimate.
FuelEU Maritime is a separate rule
Regulation (EU) 2023/1805, known as FuelEU Maritime, limits the yearly average greenhouse gas intensity of the energy a ship uses. Article 4 sets the limit by reducing a reference value of 91.16 grams of CO2 equivalent per megajoule by 2% from 1 January 2025, which is 89.34, and by 6% from 1 January 2030. A ship with a compliance deficit is charged a penalty under Annex IV of the regulation. That penalty depends on the ship's verified well-to-wake intensity for the whole year, so this page does not calculate it.
Sources
- European Commission: Reducing emissions from the shipping sector
- EUR-Lex: Directive (EU) 2023/959, amending Directive 2003/87/EC (Articles 3ga and 3gb)
- EUR-Lex: Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/2776, amending Regulation (EU) 2015/757 (Annex I, Part A, point 2: default emission factors)
- EUR-Lex: Regulation (EU) 2023/1805 (FuelEU Maritime), Article 4 and Annex IV
EU sources last checked November 13, 2026. The rules can change, so confirm the current text before relying on a figure.
Frequently asked questions
How is the EU ETS cost for shipping calculated?
Multiply the fuel burned by its CO2 emission factor to get tonnes of CO2. Take 100% of that for a voyage between two EU ports or for time within an EU port, and 50% for a voyage between an EU port and a non-EU port. Apply the phase-in share for the year of the emissions: 40% for 2024, 70% for 2025 and 100% for 2026 and each year after. The result is the number of allowances to surrender, one per tonne. Multiply by the EUA price for the cost.
What changes in 2026 for shipping in the EU ETS?
Two things, per the European Commission. Shipping companies surrender allowances for 100% of their reported emissions for 2026, up from 70% for 2025 and 40% for 2024. And the EU ETS covers methane and nitrous oxide from 2026, in addition to CO2. This calculator counts CO2 only.
Which ships does the EU ETS cover?
The European Commission describes the scope as all large ships of 5,000 gross tonnage and above entering EU ports, regardless of the flag they fly. The cost falls on emissions from voyages to, from and between EU ports and from time within EU ports.
What is the EU ETS charge per container?
There is no regulated per-container charge. The EU ETS obligation is on a ship's emissions, and how a carrier passes the cost on is its own commercial decision. If you enter the TEU carried, the calculator divides the voyage's estimated EU ETS cost evenly by that number. It does not reproduce any carrier's surcharge.
Which emission factors does the calculator use?
The default CO2 emission factors in Annex I of Regulation (EU) 2015/757, as replaced by Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/2776: HFO (ISO 8217 grades RME to RMK) 3.114; LFO (ISO 8217 grades RMA to RMD) 3.151; MDO / MGO (ISO 8217 grades DMX to DMB) 3.206; LNG 2.750, each in tonnes of CO2 per tonne of fuel. The regulation classes oil fuels by ISO 8217 grade, so a very low sulphur fuel oil takes the factor of the grade on its bunker delivery note.
Does the estimate include methane from LNG?
No. It counts CO2 only. From 2026 the EU ETS also covers methane and nitrous oxide, and the same regulation lists methane slip for LNG engines at 0.2% to 3.1% of fuel mass depending on engine type, so for LNG burned in 2026 or later the full obligation is higher than this estimate.
Does this calculate the FuelEU Maritime penalty?
No. FuelEU Maritime, Regulation (EU) 2023/1805, is a separate rule from the EU ETS. It limits the yearly average greenhouse gas intensity of the energy a ship uses: Article 4 sets the limit by reducing a reference value of 91.16 grams of CO2 equivalent per megajoule by 2% from 1 January 2025, which is 89.34, and by 6% from 1 January 2030. The penalty in its Annex IV depends on a ship's verified well-to-wake intensity for the whole year, which this page does not calculate.
Which EUA price does the calculator use?
The EUA price field is prefilled with €90.39 per tonne of CO2, as of November 13, 2026. Source: OilPriceAPI EU carbon allowance price (EU_CARBON_EUR), a daily reading and not an exchange settlement price. Type over it with the price you expect to pay for allowances.
Pull the EU carbon price into your voyage costing
GET /v1/prices/latest?by_code=EU_CARBON_EUR → timestamped JSONRelated: EU carbon price · Bunker fuel prices · Rotterdam bunker prices · Bunker Adjustment Factor Calculator · Marine Fuel Prices API