Report

Proposal for an Environmental Ship Index

In a study commissioned by the ports of Le Havre, Antwerp, Rotterdam, Bremen and Hamburg, CE Delft has developed an Environmental Ship Index (ESI) that from 2010 onwards will be used on a voluntary basis to encourage more environmentally benign shipping. The index identifies vessels that perform better in terms of emissions than under current international regulations on the average technology to be applied in new vessels. The index can be used by port authorities, carriers and dispatchers alike.

Indexing is not a novel topic, being similarly employed for both aviation and road vehicles, in establishing ‘green zones’ and in differentiating taxes.

The report comprises the following:
1    Evaluation of existing indices in the maritime sector.
2    Evaluation of the lessons to be learned from use of such indices in other sectors.
3    Design of a proposal for an ESI.
4    A proposal for an ESI organisation to administer a database and manage vessel inspection.

The ESI proposal covers emissions of NOX and SOX and reporting on the IMO energy efficiency operational index (EEOI). As yet, it is unfeasible to include particulates in the index.

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