At its recent 22nd meeting BIMCOs Marine Committee discussed the implications of the recently adopted amendments to MARPOL Annex VI which imposes an Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) to new ships built after 1st January 2013.
BIMCO was very satisfied to see IMO adopting technical and operational measures to reduce GHG emissions from ships at the 62nd session of its Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) in July 2011. This adoption cements IMO’s centre stage position when it comes to establishing the regulatory framework for international shipping.
“EEDI provides both opportunities and challenges for our industry”, says BIMCO Marine Committee Chairman Philip Embiricos “- opportunities to build and operate more energy-efficient and cost-effective ships and challenges for ship designers and ship builders to excel their naval architectural and engineering skills focusing on efficiency improvements.” EEDI should result in better ships and not just slower ships.
BIMCO has also evaluated the commercial implication of new ships built after 1st January 2013 being granted waivers from the Flag State for compliance with the EEDI requirement. It is BIMCO’s firm recommendation that due to the lifespan of ships and the significant uncertainties in respect of governments’ environmental agendas and how these may be applied, members should abstain from building new ships without certified EEDI compliance. Such ships would be compromised in relation to their future second-hand value in the market, potentially restricted in their ability to trade worldwide and be less attractive in the charter market due to their perceived lower efficiency.
“BIMCO has a duty to provide the best possible information enabling our members to make the right decisions for their particular businesses”, says Philip Embiricos. Our advice against waivers in no way bears a political signal. On the contrary, it is purely an acknowledgment of shipping being a global business and in line with BIMCO’s objectives to promote fair business practices, free trade and open access to markets”
BIMCO has developed an easy-to-use EEDI Calculator to assist its members calculating EEDI and plotting a ship’s index against the relevant ship type specific regulatory limits imposed by MARPOL Annex VI. It is the hope that the EEDI calculator will make EEDI performance of known ship designs more visible, as well as providing an easy way to assess changes in EEDI when design parameters are altered. The calculator will be made available as soon as verification test of the calculation results have been completed.