Finnish shipping companies may receive support for ship investment projects which significantly benefit the environment.
On 14 March, the Finnish Government issued an amendment to the Decree on investment aid improving the level of environmental protection of ships. The amendment will enter into force on 1 April 2013, and applications for investment aid may be filed from 2 April.
With this amendment, the scope of aid is extended so that it may also be granted to ships which are already in use. The environmental standards of shipping have changed and shipping companies will in the coming years be subjected to new requirements concerning the reduction of sulphur content of fuel, in particular. The current Government Decree on environmental investment aid to vessels only covers investments in new ships.
Following entry into force of the amendment, aid can be targeted at retrofitting vessels with emission abatement technologies, in particular sulphur scrubbers.
