Maritime eco-incentives are aids that the Spanish government offers to all logistics companies that use sustainable means of transportation and promote environmental conservation.
The main goal sought with this measure is to substitute the use of trucks and trains for the transportation of goods with ships. Thanks to this change, pollution generated by this process is reduced.
Conditions for applying for eco-incentives
In order to access these financial aids, companies must meet a series of requirements:
- Having a project that demonstrates that, through the change in transportation, CO2 emissions will be reduced.
- The business plan must be in line with the sustainability and environmental objectives set by the Spanish government.
- Compliance with the technical and environmental criteria required by the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge and various environmental certification and control bodies.
- The company must meet these conditions so that, once they have completed the project, they can submit the application to the Ministry of Transport, Mobility, and Urban Agenda (MITMA). After reviewing the proposal, the Ministry will notify the applicant of the decision, and if it is affirmative, they may be eligible for the maritime eco-incentive payment.
Environmental advantages
The main goal of implementing all these measures is to achieve an improvement in environmental conservation.
Other advantages obtained from the eco-incentives include:
- Emission reduction: To achieve the main objective, the use of more efficient cargo ships is promoted, thus reducing pollution.
- Innovation: Encourages companies to invest in more sustainable technologies.
- Reduction of air and land traffic: These are two of the most congested modes of transportation due to constant usage. In contrast, maritime transportation has a much greater capacity than it is currently utilized. This helps alleviate and distribute traffic across the various available routes (land, sea, and air).
Types of maritime eco-incentives
There are different kinds of aids for companies investing in maritime transportation, such as:
- Subsidies for fleet modernization.
- Incentives for the use of alternative fuels.
- Aids for the implementation of green technologies.
- Subsidies for route optimization and port operations.
- “Support for research and development (R&D)”3.5
Among the types of maritime eco-incentives in Spain, some of the most prominent ones are the Environmental Incentives Plan (PIMA) and the Ports of the State Eco-incentives Program.
The PIMA is an initiative offered by the Government of Spain through the Ministry of Transport, Mobility, and Urban Agenda. It aims to implement improvements in maritime transportation to make it more sustainable and efficient.
On the other hand, the Ports of the State Eco-incentives Program has a similar purpose. By incentivizing short-sea shipping, it aims to reduce road traffic and decrease greenhouse gas emissions.
There are companies supporting the sustainability of the planet in various ways.RFL Cargo, an international logistics operator, offers maritime transportation services and is committed to the environment.
