Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I can give the Deputy some domestic context regarding the Irish flag and Irish ships. They have been very proactive in complying with current regulations and future-proofing their new-build ships for technical efficiency. The average age of ships linked to the Irish flag is under ten years old. The younger vessels tend to be much more energy efficient and can last between 25 and 30 years. If we compare Ireland with some of the other European countries, we currently have a young fleet and quite a fuel efficient maritime sector. However, as part of the pooling mechanism and FuelEU Maritime, it will be important to increase the blend of the different fuel mixes. The FuelEU Maritime initiative is technologically neutral because it is at quite an early stage compared with what is being done on other modes within the transport sector.

On SAF, we are establishing a co-ordinated structure to examine it and try to build a consensus on where Ireland should go and what the pathway can be. The reason there is a ten-year transition within the European file is to give flexibility to airlines to get SAF into particular airports or areas that have developed that production capacity and to keep a competitive market. We have to bottom that out. I have heard different perspectives on this from different people within industry. If we make a recommendation to the Department of Finance on taxation, for example, we must make sure it is the right call on SAF for the long term. That is what we are going to do. We want to achieve a better consensus. As I said, I have been given very different perspectives from different people within the aviation sector.