Opportunities for Green H₂ in EU High-Speed-Crafts Decarbonization Through Well-to-Wake GHG Emissions Assessment

This paper introduces a mathematical model to assess the polluting impact of the decarbonization options for medium-sized High-Speed Crafts in the EU, and their consequences in terms of Market-Based Measure costs and Goal-Based Measure compliance under expected regulatory scenarios. This model is applied to a particular European High-Speed Craft operating in the Canary Islands. Considering slow steaming along with High Speed Craft’s retrofitting with alternative technologies for its electricity supply, we conclude that green H₂ fuel Cells provide the greatest environmental advantage by comparison with slow steaming alone, achieving a 6.96% improvement in emissions and savings under European Market-Based Measures of 39.76% by 2033. The expected regulative progression involves a 5.90% improvement in the Market-Based Measure costs’ convergence with the actual pollution impact of High-Speed Crafts. The findings warn about the pressing need to review the implementation of On-Shore Power Supply emissions into the Fuel EU fines, and about a concerning pull effect for the most polluting European High-Speed Crafts are moved towards the outermost regions of the EU due to their permanent exceptions from the application of the European Market-Based Measures.