Shipping is the only industry not facing EU emission reduction cuts, but it is under intensified scrutiny as the bloc aims to guide industries towards their strategy to become "neutral to the climate" by 2050.
EU lawmakers said the carbon market of the bloc should be extended to cover emissions from travel inside Europe, as well as international journeys beginning or ending in an EU port.
With another vote on Wednesday the EU parliament will formally support its stance.
Despite industry pushback, proposals to pull shipping into the scheme are gaining momentum.
This would likely happen via a package of market reforms to be introduced by the Commission by June 2021. The extension of the scheme could take to introduce until 2023, officials said.
That will coincide with a deadline for the United Nations shipping agency (IMO) to issue a document on the sector's efforts to reduce global emissions.
Maritime Business World