| Withdrawal of UK MRV regulations |
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Applicability: Shipowners, ship operators, ship managers and ship masters.
Effective from 3 April 2026, the UK Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) regulations are no longer applicable. This means operators of ships previously in scope of these requirements will no longer be required to:
- Develop and maintain a ship specific UK MRV monitoring plan.
- Monitor, report and have verified carbon dioxide emissions under the UK’s retained EU maritime MRV regime.
Background
While the UK was a member of the European Union (EU), maritime operators were required to monitor and report carbon dioxide emissions under the EU’s Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) framework. Those requirements were retained in UK law after the UK’s exit of the EU through a series of domestic and retained EU instruments.
Following a review, completed in June 2025, it was concluded that the UK MRV regime had not delivered its intended policy benefits and risked duplicating obligations, particularly given the planned inclusion of the maritime sector in the UK ETS from July 2026. Therefore, the decision was taken to revoke the MRV regulations retained in UK law.
What shipowners and shipyards should do now for UK MRV compliance
Actions for Reporting Year (RY) 2025
- All pending UK MRV Annual Emissions data for 2025 must still be verified in accordance with MIN 669.
- All pending UK MRV Monitoring Plans linked to, or affecting, the completion of RY 2025 data verification must be assessed.
Actions for Reporting Year (RY) 2026
Data must be collected up to and including 2 April 2026. Therefore:
- For ships newly in scope of UK MRV – a Monitoring Plan must be developed and assessed by a UK MRV accredited verifier up to and including 2nd April 2026.
- For ships already in scope – any updates to an existing Monitoring Plan that impacts RY 2026 data verification must be assessed.
- All UK MRV emissions data collected for RY 2026 must be verified:
- Clients must submit a UK MRV partial emissions report covering the period 1 January – 2 April 2026 for verification.
- For clients contracted with LR, this data should be submitted via Emissions Verifier (EV) by the end of May 2026.
Continued monitoring still required under UK ETS
From 1 July 2026, the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (UK ETS), the United Kingdom system of carbon pricing and trading for GHG emissions from domestic activities, will include the maritime sector. Consequently, from this date, ship operators should continue to monitor, report and have verified emissions data, and surrender necessary allowances as required by the UK ETS.
Please refer to Lloyd Register’s Class News 06/2026 for more information on the introduction of the UK ETS and the requirements for shipowners and operators.
What shipowners and shipyards should do now for UK ETS compliance
Any shipowners / operators anticipating being in scope of the UK ETS on or soon after the 1 July 2026 should prepare a UK ETS monitoring plan for compliance with the new regulatory requirements.
How Lloyd’s Register can help
Lloyd’s Register can act as an accredited verifier to help with UK ETS compliance. For more details, please visit our dedicated page or contact dcsmrv@lr.org
