In many ways, shipping’s entry into the European Union’s Emissions Trading System is already here.

With the official start date just over a month away, voyages that will be subject to what is effectively a floating tax on carbon emissions may have already started.

As I worked on stories with my colleagues for TradeWinds’ recently published special report on the start of emissions trading, the overarching question in my mind was whether shipping is ready for this new regime, in which vessel operators will have to pay for the right to pollute.