IAPH launches Environmental Ship Index

THE World Ports Climate Initiative (WPCI), under the auspices of the International Association of Ports and Harbours (IAPH), plans to launch an Environmental Ship Index (ESI), to provide an international standard for calculating emissions by ships, starting from January 2011.

Ports and other nautical service providers will be able to use the index to reward clean ships, in a bid to encourage sustainability in the shipping industry and reduce harmful vessel emissions.

"Participation by ship owners is voluntary. They can calculate the emissions of their vessels on the newly constructed website: www.environmentalshipindex.org. Participating vessels will receive a certificate that may form the basis of a reward system employed by ports and other nautical service providers, discounting port dues, rates and alike," a statement from IAPH said.

"The ESI identifies seagoing vessels that perform better in reducing emissions than required by the current emission standards set by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), which are based on the amount of nitrogen oxide (NOx) and sulphur oxide (SOx) that is released by the ship.

"In addition, the ESI tests for the presence of a management plan for the greenhouse gas emissions of the ship. The ESI is therefore a good indication of the environmental performance of the ship, and will identify clean ships in a general way. Modern sea-going vessels with clean engines that use low-sulphur bunker oil in ports score high on the ESI," it said.

Over the past two years, the ports of Le Havre, Bremen, Hamburg, Antwerp, Rotterdam and Amsterdam have worked closely together to develop the ESI. The programme is entirely voluntary and the member ports of the WPCI hope that the global port community will adopt ESI as a universal means of improving their own environmental performance.

The World Ports Climate Initiative is supported by 55 of the world's key ports that have committed themselves to reducing their greenhouse gas emissions while continuing their role as transportation and economic hubs.
(Source:www.schednet.com)