The Royal Belgian Shipowners’ Association  welcomes the Flemish Government’s decision to mobilise up to €2 billion in support of sustainable industrial transition projects, as announced by Flemish Minister-President Matthias Diependaele at the “Klimaatsprong voor de industrie” event organised by Flanders Innovation & Entrepreneurship.

This announcement sends a clear and positive signal that Flanders is prepared to invest decisively in its industrial base while accelerating the transition towards climate neutrality. For the maritime sector — an essential backbone of Europe’s economy and a critical enabler of industrial value chains — long-term investment certainty is indispensable.

Shipping is facing profound transformation challenges, but it also offers concrete and scalable solutions to decarbonisation, provided that sufficient financial support and risk-sharing mechanisms are in place.

Recent developments at international level underline the urgency of this approach. With the talks at the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) on the Net-Zero Framework stalled last year, continued uncertainty about global pathways and timelines prevents the industry from moving forward. Against this backdrop, it is highly challenging for Belgian shipowners to meet ambitious EU climate obligations while remaining competitive in a highly globalised market.

At this critical moment where the global competitiveness of European shipping has reached a tipping point, KBRV strongly urges the Minister-President to reinvest shipping ETS revenues in full into clean shipping technologies, enabling the sector to bridge the cost gap between conventional and low- or zero-carbon fuels.

“This is a strong and welcome signal that Flanders is prepared to stand by its industry during an unprecedented transition,” said Loïc Van Staey, KBRV Managing Director. “As a sector that is constantly exposed to rapid economic and geopolitical developments, shipping has set ambitious goals for a more sustainable future. We need a full alignment from the authorities to put in place a framework that rewards first movers and supports the next milestones.”

Predominantly headquartered in Antwerp, the Belgian shipping sector — covering towage, merchant shipping and offshore sub-sectors — plays an essential role in Europe’s competitiveness, energy transition and strategic autonomy. In particular, the offshore sector is indispensable for the construction of offshore wind infrastructure and the production of green energy for industrial use. Policies at EU and regional level must therefore avoid placing disproportionate regulatory burdens on such highly specialised maritime activities.

With a direct turnover of €10 billion and a total direct and indirect added value of €4.5 billion, the Belgian flag ranks among the top five in Europe and the top twenty worldwide. Strengthening the sector’s capacity to invest in clean technologies is both a climate imperative and a strategic economic priority.

The KBRV looks forward to continuing the dialogue with the Minister-President to secure the support of the Flemish authorities in aligning the sector’s vision of competitiveness and strategic autonomy at EU level, at the upcoming EU Summit taking place in Antwerp on 11 February.