Climate Delegated Act Transport NACE H50.4

Inland freight water transport

Purchase, financing, leasing, rental and operation of freight vessels on inland waters, involving vessels that are not suitable for sea transport.

The economic activities in this category could be associated with several NACE code H50.4 in accordance with the statistical classification of economic activities established by Regulation (EC) No 1893/2006.

Substantial contribution

This activity can make a substantial contribution to the following objective(s). The activity must also pass DNSH assessment against the remaining five objectives.

✓ Climate mitigation

1. The activity complies with one or both of the following criteria:(a) the vessels have zero direct (tailpipe) CO2 emission;(b) where technologically and economically not feasible to comply with the criterion in point (a), until 31 December 2025, the vessels have direct (tailpipe) emissions of CO2 per tonne kilometre (gCO2/tkm), calculated (or estimated in case of new vessels) using the Energy Efficiency Operational Indicator(276), 50% lower than the average reference value for emissions of CO2 defined for heavy duty vehicles (vehicle subgroup 5- LH) in accordance with Article 11 of Regulation 2019/1242;(c) where technologically and economically not feasible to comply with point (a), from 1 January 2026 onwards, the yearly average greenhouse gas intensity of the energy used on-board by a ship or a company’s fleet during a reporting period(277) does not exceed the following limits: (a) 76,4 g CO2e/MJ from 1 January 2026 until 31 December 2029; (b) 61,1 g CO2e/MJ from 1 January 2030 until 31 December 2034; (c) 45,8 g CO2e/MJ from 1 January 2035 until 31 December 2039; (d) 30,6 g CO2e/MJ from 1 January 2040 until 31 December 2044; (e) 15,3 g CO2e/MJ from 1 January 2045 until 31 December 2049; (f) 0 g CO2e/MJ from 1 January 2050.2. Vessels are not dedicated to the transport of fossil fuels.

✓ Climate adaptation

1. The economic activity has implemented physical and non-physical solutions (‘adaptation solutions’) that substantially reduce the most important physical climate risks that are material to that activity.2. The physical climate risks that are material to the activity have been identified from those listed in Appendix A of the applicable Delegated Act by performing a robust climate risk and vulnerability assessment with the following steps:screening of the activity to identify which physical climate risks from the list in Appendix A of the applicable Delegated Act may affect the performance of the economic activity during its expected lifetime;where the activity is assessed to be at risk from one or more of the physical climate risks listed in Appendix A of the applicable Delegated Act, a climate risk and vulnerability assessment to assess the materiality of the physical climate risks on the economic activity;an assessment of adaptation solutions that can reduce the identified physical climate risk.The climate risk and vulnerability assessment is proportionate to the scale of the activity and its expected lifespan, such that: for activities with an expected lifespan of less than 10 years, the assessment is performed, at least by using climate projections at the smallest appropriate scale;for all other activities, the assessment is performed using the highest available resolution, state-of-the-art climate projections across the existing range of future scenarios(541) consistent with the expected lifetime of the activity, including, at least, 10 to 30 year climate projections scenarios for major investments. 3. The climate projections and assessment of impacts are based on best practice and available guidance and take into account the state-of-the-art science for vulnerability and risk analysis and related methodologies in line with the most recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports(542), scientific peer-reviewed publications and open source(543) or paying models.4. The adaptation solutions implemented:do not adversely affect the adaptation efforts or the level of resilience to physical climate risks of other people, of nature, of cultural heritage, of assets and of other economic activities;favour nature-based solutions(544) or rely on blue or green infrastructure(545) to the extent possible;are consistent with local, sectoral, regional or national adaptation plans and strategies;are monitored and measured against pre-defined indicators and remedial action is considered where those indicators are not met;where the solution implemented is physical and consists in an activity for which technical screening criteria have been specified in this Annex, the solution complies with the do no significant harm technical screening criteria for that activity.

Do No Significant Harm criteria

To be taxonomy-aligned, this activity must not significantly harm any of the five objectives it does not substantially contribute to.

Water and marine resources

The activity complies with the criteria set out in Appendix B of the applicable Delegated Act.

Circular economy

Measures are in place to manage and recycle waste at the end-of life, including through decommissioning contractual agreements with recycling service providers, reflection in financial projections or official project documentation. These measures ensure that components and materials are segregated and treated to maximise recycling and reuse in accordance with the waste hierarchy, EU waste regulation principles and applicable regulations, in particular through the reuse and recycling of batteries and electronics and the critical raw materials therein. These measures also include the control and management of hazardous materials.

Documentation typically required

  • Decommissioning contractual agreements with recycling service providers — Evidence that such agreements are in place to manage and recycle waste at end-of-life.
  • Financial projections or official project documentation — Reflects waste management measures as part of the project's financial planning or official records.

Pollution prevention and control

Vessels comply with the emission limits of Annex II to Regulation (EU) 2016/1628 (including vessels meeting those limits without type-approved solutions such as through after-treatment).

Key thresholds

MetricThresholdUnit
Emission limitsAs per Annex II to Regulation (EU) 2016/1628

Biodiversity and ecosystems

N/A

Criteria sourced from the EU Taxonomy Navigator. Applicable act: Climate Delegated Act (OJ L 442, 9.12.2021). Last verified: 19 July 2026.

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