The Port of Amsterdam has revealed plans to raise the incentives offered to the vessels listed on the Environmental Ship Index (ESI).
The ESI sets a global standard to determine the emission index of the vessels on the sea.
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It was developed by the International Association for Ports and Harbours (IAPH) and designed by the ports of Le Havre, Bremen, Hamburg, Antwerp, Amsterdam and Rotterdam.
The ESI certification is issued at the request of the vessel by the World Ports Climate Initiative which determines the impact of the vessels on the environment based on emission of air pollutants such as NOx and SOx and CO2.
The performance is ascertained on a scale of zero to 100. The ESI incentive is procured from the port dues.
A score of one implies an improvement in relation to the current environmental regulations for shipping while a score of 100 denotes a favourable performance.
In this respect, vessels scoring 20 points or higher recieve a discount from the port. Vessels attaining higher are awarded a bonus in addition to this regular discount.
This step is foreseen to encourage vessels to resort to sustainable behaviour in the shipping industry.
Port of Amsterdam COO Koen Overtoom said: "Port of Amsterdam is a sustainable port, which means we encourage vessels to help preserve the environment.
"Cleaner ships contribute to improving local air quality, which we believe is important for the region and its population."
It accounts for 40 rewarders including ports such as Long Beach and Tokyo, smaller ports such as Port Nelson in New Zealand and Flam in Norway.
Rewards vary from a discount of about 5% on harbour duties, to up to 100%.
Image: A tugboat of the port of Amsterdam. Photo: courtesy of Takeaway / Wikipedia.
