LNG's use as a fuel on Europe's seas, inland waterways and highways should be promoted and expanded as a way of combating pollution, according to a package of proposals unveiled by the European Commission last month. Brussels outlines the likely costs and challenges, and admits there's a long way to go before the EU compares with non-EU Norway, which has for the past decade subsidized the construction and conversion of ferries and other ships to LNG using money raised by its carbon tax (IOD Jan. 17' 13). Most EU states have yet to outline how shipowners will be encouraged to convert or build new LNG-fueled vessels without breaching subsidy rules. Finland is the exception: The European Commission recently approved a modest ?120 million ($158 million) support scheme spanning four years (LNGI Jan.24'13).
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