achieved by sector, region or date. They must demonstrate that their operations are continuously undertaken in an environmentally acceptable manner.
Maine fairway charges
Since 1998, Sweden has established differentiated fairway and port charges for any passenger and cargo ships calling at Swedish ports, regardless of the ships’ flag state. This system was part of a tripartite agreement between the Swedish Maritime Administration to Swedish Ship owners’ Association and the Swedish Ports’ and Stevedores’ Association to employ vigorous measures to decrease ship-generated air pollution . The system is based on two charging components. One portion corresponds to the gross tonnage of the ship and the other portion is based on the volume of cargo being transported by the ship. The charging levels for the gross tonnage portion are differentiated with respect to emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOX)and sulphur oxides (SOX) by the installation of catalytic converters. The Swedish Maritime Administration reimburses the fairway dues being paid for a five-year period to shipowners that have invested in the installation of catalytic converters. This reimbursement can be as high as 40 percent of the installation costs. This subsidy applies to any flagged ship nowithstanding its port of registry nationality, registered at the Swedish Maritime Administration. The differentiated fairway charges scheme has permitted significant reductions in nitrogen oxides (NOX) and sulphur oxides (SOX) emissions by ships calling at Swedish ports. It is