British ports challenge EU ETS diversion findings as tighter rules loom

British ports are challenging findings that link rising UK container activity to shipping lines seeking to reduce EU carbon charges, Splash247 reports. The British Ports Association (BPA) argues that additional terminal capacity and changes to liner networks explain the growth, warning that proposed European anti-evasion rules could penalise investment in British facilities.

According to figures cited by Splash247, UK container volumes increased by 11% in 2025, adding around 600,000 units. London contributed roughly 500,000 of that increase. The BPA says about 85% of national growth was concentrated there after DP World opened its £350m fourth berth at London Gateway in late 2024. The terminal handled more than 3m teu in 2025, a 52% increase from 1.9m teu the previous year.

The new berth expanded London Gateway’s capacity by more than a third, while Asia-Europe services from Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd’s Gemini Cooperation arrived in February 2025. DP World is also pursuing a further £1bn expansion comprising two all-electric berths and a second rail terminal. The BPA says assessments of carbon-related traffic diversion have given insufficient weight to such investment and service changes.

Research by Spain’s Puertos del Estado found that Britain’s share of northern European deepsea shipping activity, measured in teu-miles, increased from 17.5% in 2023 to 32.1% by July 2025. Later analysis placed it near 36% in the first quarter of 2026. The Spanish study attributed 76% of observed route changes to the EU Emissions Trading System. The BPA disputes that interpretation, arguing that teu-miles reflect network activity rather than cargo handled and can be affected by Cape of Good Hope diversions and port-call sequencing.

European Commission proposals announced in July would exclude certain container ports within 150 nautical miles of an EU port from the port-of-call definition used for emissions accounting. For other qualifying non-EU ports within 300 nautical miles, the transhipment threshold would fall from 65% to 50%. Splash247 reports that the changes, which remain unadopted, could encompass more British terminals and raise carbon costs for lines serving them.

The BPA supports shipping decarbonisation but wants London and Brussels to reconsider the evidence before proceeding. Britain brought domestic shipping and emissions in UK ports into its own trading scheme in July 2026; extending carbon pricing to international voyages from 2028 remains under consideration.