ESI to become international standard / HPA plans to introduce envi-ronmental discount on port dues in the summer of 2011

London/Hamburg, 2 November 2010 - The World Ports Climate Initia-tive (WPCI), a subsidiary organisation of the international umbrella or-ganisation of port authorities, the International Association of Ports and Harbours (IAPH), is introducing the Environmental Ship Index (ESI), an international standard that allows the comparison of emissions by ships. In future it will be possible to identify and evaluate ships based on envi-ronmental criteria similar to emission badges displayed on vehicles. The WPCI has thus created an easy-to-manage, transparent basis for ports and other interested parties to reward the deployment and operation of ships that are especially friendly to the environment. The Hamburg Port Authority plans to use the ESI index to reward clean ships and grant dis-counts on port dues from the summer of next year (2011) onwards. The aim is to encourage ship owners and operators to invest in engines and fuels that are as ‘green' as possible.

Voluntary Certification
From the beginning of 2011 onwards, ship owners and operators will have the opportunity to have their ships rated within the scope of the ESI point scheme provided they enter their data on the homepage of the project at www.environmentalshipindex.org. Participation is voluntary and free of charge until further notice. Based on the data provided, participating ships will receive a certificate that ports may use as a basis for incentive sys-tems such as, for instance, discounts on port dues offered to clean ships. Ships that score extremely well on the ESI would thus pay lower fees than ships that are less environmentally friendly. The index identifies seagoing vessels that emit lower amounts of nitrogen oxide and sulphur oxide than required by, for example, the emission standards set by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO). Modern ocean-going vessels with engines that use low-sulphur fuels will score high on the ESI. The ESI can be ap-plied by all port operators and other interested parties that want to promote environmentally friendly behaviour in the shipping industry.

Development Group
The ESI was jointly developed over the past two years by the ports of Le Havre, Antwerp, Rotterdam, Amsterdam, Bremen and Hamburg under the auspices of the WPCI. Though a port's participation in the ESI scheme is voluntary, the WPCI hopes that ports worldwide will use the ESI so to con-tribute to improving the environmental performance of the shipping indus-try. Several ports have already announced their decision to apply the standard and offer discounts on port dues to reward clean ships.

Port Dues in Hamburg based on environmental Performance
The Hamburg Port Authority, too, is planning to introduce an ESI-based environmental discount on port dues. The testing and monitoring period will start at the beginning of 2011, and from the summer of 2011 onwards, port dues that reward environmental responsibility are planned to be introduced to create an incentive for ship owners and operators to go green.