EU Certification Proposal Raises Concerns over Future Supply of Renewable Marine Fuels

The industry groups argue that the proposed amendments could undermine the use of liquefaction by equivalence, an established certification approach that enables renewable liquefied methane to be supplied through existing LNG infrastructure, potentially affecting fuel availability for the maritime sector.

BioLNG and eLNG are among the limited renewable marine fuels currently compatible with existing LNG-fuelled vessels and bunkering infrastructure. Demand for both fuels has increased as shipowners seek to comply with the FuelEU Maritime regulation and the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS).

According to the coalition, terminal operators including Fluxys and Enagás reported significant growth in bioLNG volumes during 2025, reflecting rising market demand.

However, the organisations contend that the proposed certification changes could alter how greenhouse gas emissions are allocated within renewable gas supply chains. They argue that the revised methodology could assign emissions associated with fossil LNG supply chains to bioLNG and eLNG delivered through the mass-balance certification system, despite those emissions not originating from the renewable fuel supply chain itself.   The coalition warns that such an approach could reduce the commercial viability of liquefaction by equivalence, limiting renewable fuel availability, increasing compliance costs for shipping companies and discouraging investment in biomethane and e-methane production across Europe.

The signatories are calling on the European Commission to ensure that sustainability certification reflects the actual lifecycle emissions of biomethane and e-methane supply chains, rather than attributing emissions from conventional LNG infrastructure.

They argue that maintaining the current approach would preserve an established pathway for delivering renewable fuels to the maritime sector while continuing to meet robust sustainability standards.      Andreas Guth, Secretary General of Eurogas, said: “Renewable fuels are central to the decarbonisation efforts of European shipping. Restricting a proven pathway for supplying bioLNG and eLNG under the proposed certification changes risk reducing fuel availability and penalising shipping companies that rely on these fuels to meet FuelEU Maritime requirements.”      Nikos Mertzanidis, Executive Director at CLIA in Europe, said: “Cruise lines require secure, scalable, and cost-competitive access to renewable fuels to decarbonise their fleets. BioLNG is already being used in commercial operations using existing vessels and infrastructure. Any disruption to fuel supply could create additional challenges for shipping companies to reach net-zero.”     John Cosmo Dwelle, Managing Director at Anew Climate Europe, added: “Efficient certification systems are vital to connect renewable gas producers with maritime demand. Liquefaction by equivalence is a proven, scalable pathway using existing infrastructure, and removing it would constrain Bio-LNG supply as well as the wider biomethane market at a critical juncture, risking investment, energy security, and the pace of shipping decarbonization. The sector needs continuity, not disruption.”   Rafik Ammar, Policy Director at the e-NG Coalition, said: “The maritime sector has the vessels, the demand and the ambition to decarbonise with bio-LNG and e-LNG today. However, attributing the carbon footprint of fossil LNG to renewable pathways creates an unnecessary barrier to the uptake of the very fuels Europe needs. Liquefaction by equivalence is already proven in practice; what is needed now is a regulatory framework that properly recognises and enables this approach.”      The debate comes as the European shipping industry accelerates the adoption of renewable and low-carbon fuels to meet increasingly stringent emissions regulations.      Industry stakeholders argue that preserving scalable certification mechanisms will be important to maintaining investment confidence, supporting renewable fuel production and ensuring sufficient fuel availability as shipping transitions toward lower-carbon operations.