EmissionLink has warned that preparations for the UK Emissions Trading Scheme’s extension to shipping may be slipping down the priority list as industry attention remains fixed on developments in the Strait of Hormuz.

The compliance provider noted that the 1 July start date comes on top of existing EU ETS, FuelEU and verifier requirements.

Philippos Ioulianou, managing director of EmissionLink, said: “Shipping is dealing with serious and immediate pressures, and it is entirely understandable that attention is being drawn towards developments in the Strait of Hormuz. But regulatory timelines do not pause because the market is facing operational or geopolitical disruption. That is where the risk lies. It is not a lack of awareness, but the possibility that understandable focus on immediate events leaves too little time to prepare for what comes next.”

EmissionLink stressed that UK ETS should not be treated as simply a smaller version of EU ETS. The company noted that the UK scheme is a separate regime with its own timeline, administration and commercial implications.

“Carbon pricing is no longer new to shipping,” Ioulianou remarked. “The market has already been adapting to EU ETS, FuelEU, verifier processes, pooling arrangements and a steadily increasing compliance burden. But UK ETS is distinct, and with implementation beginning in July, preparation needs to be happening now.”

The maritime emissions specialist highlighted contractual readiness as one of the biggest areas of exposure for owners. It added that charterparty clauses dealing with EU allowances but making no provision for UK ETS could leave owners commercially exposed if reimbursement mechanisms are assumed to carry across automatically.

EmissionLink also argued that UK ETS should not be seen solely as a compliance issue, because its impact will reach into chartering, legal, operations and commercial decision-making, particularly where voyage economics and liability allocation are concerned.

“The danger now is delay,” Ioulianou stated. “Companies may assume that existing systems, assumptions and contractual protections will be enough. In many cases, they may not be. The smarter course is to act now: understand the exposure, review the contracts, and make sure the right systems and advice are in place before the deadline arrives.”