Island shipping company faces million-kroner bill alone

The shipping company is the only one in Denmark to receive a large bill in the mail from the EU

Samsø Shipping Company has received a bill from the EU.

The exact amount is not completely clear, but Samsø Municipality estimates it to be between 1 and 1.5 million DKK.

This information comes from a press release from Samsø Municipality, which owns the Samsø Shipping Company.

The bill is rooted in a CO2 quota system, where the municipality is required to buy quotas to compensate for the emissions produced by the ferry 'Isabella' throughout 2024.

Normally, ferries that sail to and from islands with fewer than 200,000 residents - a category Samsø falls under - are exempt from the CO2 bill. However, because 'Isabella' is larger than 5,000 gross register tons, both the municipality and the shipping company must pay.

This situation disappoints Marcel Meijer (S), the mayor of Samsø Municipality.

- We feel it is a bit unfair, he tells TV2 Østjylland, referring to the fact that across the country, only Samsø Shipping Company is being issued such a bill.

Seeking compensation

The amount is imprecise because CO2 quotas are bought on a market, and the price fluctuates with supply and demand. Therefore, the price is only known once the transaction has been completed.

The municipality has had difficulty understanding the CO2 quota system and reports that there has been a lengthy process "with interpretation and dialogue with authorities."

However, this does not change the fact that the payment must be made because the ferry exceeds the threshold of 5,000 gross register tons.

Marcel Meijer emphasizes that the municipal council expects to receive an exemption from next year and at least up to 2030.

In addition to the EU's CO2 quota system, from 2025 there will be a national requirement for payment of a CO2 tax. However, the state has allocated a fund for compensation to the municipalities, and Samsø Municipality is working to ensure that these funds are prioritized to compensate for ferry operations, which are essential infrastructure.

Søfart is trying to get a comment from Samsø Municipality on why compensation for 2024 has not been sought.