[141110.EN.SEA] Four Dutch Ports To Reward Clean Ship

Effective January 1st, 2011, the ports of Amsterdam, Moerdijk, Dordrecht and Rotterdam will reward clean ocean-going vessels with discounts on their port dues.

This involves vessels that score well on the Environmental Ship Index (ESI)  -  a new international standard for ships' emissions into the atmosphere. Ships that perform better than the legal norm will be rewarded.

The ESI is a certificate that will be awarded by the World Port Climate Initiative, at the request of the ship, from January 1st onwards.

Designed by the ports of Le Havre, Bremen, Hamburg, Antwerp, Amsterdam and Rotterdam, the ESI shows the environmental performance of ships in terms of the emission of air pollutants (NOx and SOx) and CO₂. Ports and other nautical service providers throughout the world can use the index to reward ships and, in this way, encourage sustainable behaviour in the shipping industry.

The ports of Amsterdam, Moerdijk, Dordrecht and Rotterdam will be the first to start using the ESI to reward clean ocean-going vessels.

Hans Smits, Port of Rotterdam Authority CEO, and Dertje Meijer, director of the Port of Amsterdam, said: "It is very important that seaports develop in a sustainable way. Making port tariffs greener and rewarding clean vessels is in keeping with this. The more ports and ships that use the ESI, the more this will start to influence behaviour in the shipping industry."

In the meantime, Antwerp, Hamburg and Bremen have also announced their intention to use the ESI.

The World Port Climate Initiative is a collective of 55 prominent ports that work actively to reduce air pollution, and the emission of CO₂ in particular. It does this under the auspices of the International Association of Ports & Harbours, which represents the interests of seaports internationally.

Source : EFT, 04.11.10.