Environmental Ship News

Port of Rotterdam said Thursday it would offer "a substantial port fee reduction" for ships that bunker sustainable fuels in Rotterdam, "supporting the recently announced Zero Emissions Maritime Buyers Alliance (ZEMBA) and recognizing front runners in the road to maritime decarbonization."Boudewijn Siemons, COO and CEO a.i. of the Port of Rotterdam: “It is vital that the shipping industry makes the switch to zero-emission fuels. The ZEMBA consortium has launched a fantastic initiative with a willingness to pay carriers a premium for the use of zero-emission fuels…

ABS said it has signed an agreement with Diana Shipping Services S.A. (DSS) to implement the ABS Environmental Monitor digital sustainability solution across 31 vessels under its management.Part of the ABS My Digital Fleet risk management platform, ABS Environmental Monitor is a cloud-based application leveraging vessel waste stream and emissions data to provide transparent reporting to support more sustainable vessel operations.“ABS Environmental Monitor is a powerful tool designed to support forward thinking shipowners and operators…

RN Bunker, the bunkering subsidiary of Russia's Rosneft Oil Company, said it has begun to refuel ships with 0.5% sulfur limit marine fuel at the Far East region.The RMLS 40, a marine fuel that has advanced environmental properties, is in full compliance with the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL).The first 200 tons of the new fuel was supplied to a bulk carrier in Nakhodka waters. Low-sulfur fuel is also used by the ships operating in Bolshoy Kamen Bay that do the work for construction of Zvezda Shipyard.This environmentally friendly marine fuel for the Far East is produced by Rosneft Komsomolsk Refinery in Khabarovsk Krai.

Singapore’s leading containership operator Pacific International Lines (PIL) has successfully attained Environmental Ship Index(ESI) certification for its fleet comprising of half a million TEUs.According to the shipping company, this is a major milestone for the Singaporean shipowner ahead of the transition towards the Global Sulfur Cap 2020 from 1 January next year.ESI certification is an on-going initiative by the World Ports Sustainability Program (WPSP) and it is a voluntary program for ship owners to enroll their vessels – attesting that their vessels exceed the basic standard set by the International Maritime Organization (IMO).To qualify for certification…

Among a string of new eco-friendly initiatives, the Marseille Fos port authority is to spend $22 million over the next six years to extend shoreside electrical connections for berthed vessels to every ferry, cruiseship and repair quay within the Marseille eastern harbor.Already available on the Corsica ferry quays, the network will be expanded in two phases to cover North Africa ferry quays and the shiprepair hub by 2022 and the cruise terminal between 2022 and 2025. The zero…

Port of Rotterdam Authority said that NEPTUNES - a new quality mark - aims to offer ports the opportunity to reward quieter shipping.NEPTUNES is a project organisation of eleven ports established two years ago by the Port of Rotterdam Authority to reduce shipping noise, said a statement from the port.The IAPH Environmental Ship Index for sustainable shipping has also expressed an interest in this label, it added.NEPTUNES stands for Noise Exploration Program To Understand Noise Emitted by Seagoing Ships. During the conference, the project organisation presented a guide full of recommendations for measures, classification and reduction of noise emissions by vessels when berthed in ports.In addition to Rotterdam…

Estonian port authority Tallinna Sadam (Port of Tallinn) announced that starting from next year the ships that have joined the Environmental Ship Index (ESI) can apply for discount on tonnage fees of up to 8%.The Baltic Sea port said in a press release that the new port pricing system involving differentiated port fees is aimed at encouraging shipping companies to adopt environmentally friendlier technologies and thus also contribute to the health of Baltic Sea ecosystem.The head of the port company's department for quality and environmental management Ellen Kaasik was quoted in the press release as saying. "As a port, with this discount on tonnage fees…

In Rotterdam, ships from around the world cruise in and out of Europe's busiest port, a bustling industrial hub that employs almost 200,000 people and produces 20 percent of the Netherlands' climate-changing gases.As Rotterdam tries to cut its emissions - in line with global goals to curb global warming - shipping emissions are a particular challenge, not least because many fall outside the targets set by the Paris Agreement to curb climate change.But the city's bustling port…

Yang Ming Marine Transport Corp. was named “Provider of the Year” on 18th July, 2018 by Target Corporation, the second-largest department store retailer and importer of containerized freight in the United States.Yang Ming was also accredited with the “Environmental Ship Index Award 2017” by Marseille Fos Port Authority, said a company statement.The “Provider of the Year” award distinguishes the provider who has demonstrated exceptional operational performance in cooperation with Target Corporation.Yang Ming achieved a score of 99.9% against stated performance goals. In the past year, Yang Ming provided all market services, dutifully fulfilling commitments…

Port of Amsterdam said the maximum Environmental Ship Index (ESI) discount is doubled for ships with ESI certificates and liquefied natural gas (LNG).For some years Port of Amsterdam has been giving discounts on port dues to vessels listed in the ESI that have attained an ESI score of 20 points or higher."As of 1 August, we will be increasing this incentive by adding another discount: Port of Amsterdam will be doubling the maximum ESI discount for vessels that are in the possession of an ESI certificate and use LNG for their main engine or auxiliary engine," said a press release.LNG emits significantly smaller quantities of particulate matter than other fuels, as well as producing less carbon dioxide.

Starting in 2018, all ships that use liquefied natural gas (LNG) as their primary fuel can apply for a discount of four percent on tonnage fees when calling at harbours of the Port of Tallinn. The goal of the discount is to contribute to the adoption of environmentally friendlier technologies in the Baltic Sea shipping sector. “Similarly to other ports in the European Union and Norway, the Port of Tallinn has set a course toward environmentally differentiated port fees, with the aim of reducing the amount of air pollution and marine pollution from ships’ waste handling and gaseous emissions,” said the head of quality and environmental management department at the Port of Tallinn, Ellen Kaasik.

Costa Group – part of Carnival Corporation & plc, the world’s largest cruise company – announced that its new generation ships, the first LNG powered at sea, will call Marseille in 2019. The Costa Group, the leading tourism group, the No. 1 cruiser in Europe has renovated its commitment to Port of Marseille through different initiatives that began in 1996 when the new cruise called “La Dolce Vita” started its weekly operations from Marseille to offer the French guests every Saturday a brand new and unique experience in the best places of the Mediterranean onboard its ship Costa Romantica. This new offer launched by Costa contributed to the French people being more and more interested in experiencing a cruise vacation.

As of 1 July 2017, the Environmental Ship Index (ESI) started evaluating performance in the field of CO2, says a press release from Antwerp Port Authority. To date, only the environmental performance of ships on emissions of air pollution (NOx and SOx) were assessed. This makes the index the first sustainable quality mark in international shipping that includes the performance and, more particularly, the reduction in CO2 in its assessment. The index does this based on historical data already included in the index. The ESI compares the fuel consumption and the nautical miles travelled in the past three years (e.g. 2013, 2014, 2015) to that of the following year (2016). If relatively less fuel has been consumed – in other words, if sailing was more efficient – then less CO2 has been emitted.

Last year, one in three ships at the Port of Gothenburg received an environmental discount on the port charges. This represents an increase of 83 per cent on the previous year. Heading the discount list are Donsö-based shipping companies Tärntank Ship Management AB and Furetank AB, whose vessels are powered by liquefied natural gas. The Port of Gothenburg rewards vessels that are environmental high performers. One in three vessels that called at the largest port in Scandinavia last year were classified as green according to the industry environmental indexes. In total, 75 vessels received a discount of 10 per cent on the port charges compared to 41 in 2015.

The Port of Rotterdam Authority is calling on the European Parliament to put pressure on the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to produce an ambitious worldwide CO2 reduction plan for sea shipping. Given the recent plans, measures could only be expected by 2023 at the earliest. “Far too late. The plans are not challenging enough,” believes Allard Castelein. The CEO of the Port of Rotterdam Authority issued his call on the eve of the vote on revising the EU ETS directive, in the European Parliament’s Environmental Commission. This directive, aimed at reducing CO2 emissions by pricing them and enabling the number of permits to reduce each year, embraces many European sectors, but not shipping.

Today, the Panama Canal launched the Environmental Premium Ranking, a new initiative that rewards customers who meet high environmental efficiency standards. The new incentive allows qualified customers the opportunity to improve their position within the Panama Canal’s Customer Ranking System, which is taken into consideration when booking for transit through the Panama Canal. This latest initiative is part of the Canal’s Green Connection Environmental Recognition Program, which recognizes customers who demonstrate excellent environmental stewardship and to encourage others to implement technologies and standards to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The bunkering of the Ternsund was initiated today in Rotterdam, marking the first seagoing vessel to bunker liquefied natural gas (LNG) at the port. As a result the brand new product tanker of the Swedish shipping company Terntank also receives the first Rotterdam 'LNG bunkering incentive’; a premium amounting to a discount of 10 percent on the seaport dues. On Sunday, the Ternsund arrived for the first time in Rotterdam to unload naphtha and gas oil at Vopak in the Botlek. Monday afternoon…

The Panama Canal has launched the Green Connection Award, a new initiative to recognize customers who demonstrate excellent environmental stewardship, and to encourage others to implement technologies and standards to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Panama Canal customers that meet and exceed environmental standards set by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and/or other globally recognized standards will be considered. The Panama Canal will evaluate eligible candidates based on specific environmental factors, such as the Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI), Environmental Ship Index (ESI), amount of nitrous oxides they emit due to engine performance…

A state-of-the-art containership designed by the Schulte Group to meet the most stringent international environmental standards is already outperforming in terms of design and performance and attracting positive attention in the industry. The 5,400 TEU Carl Schulte, along with its two sister vessels, Christa Schulte and Clemens Schulte, has many environmental features as standard. Her owner Bernhard Schulte, together with her manager Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement (BSM), succeeded…

It is predicted that biofuels will make up 5-10% of the global marine fuel mix by 2030 – meaning that biofuels will represent a crucial role in creating a low-emission future for shipping. In the wake of COP 21 and in advance of any subsequent IMO ruling on the environment, it may seem to many that the shipping industry is in limbo when it comes to improving its emissions footprint. On the contrary, ship owners and operators are increasingly looking for ways to ensure that both existing fleets and new builds maximize their business potential…

DNV GL’s fleet performance management solution ECO Insight has become an incentive provider for the Environmental Ship Index (ESI), a voluntary system designed to improve the environmental performance of sea going vessels. DNV GL offers a 50 per cent discount on the subscription to its ECO Insight Environmental module. “We are very pleased that the ideas underlying ESI are getting greater recognition from the industry and attracting a broader range of incentive providers,” says Fer van de Laar, Director of the World Ports Climate Initiative (WPCI). “Since it joined the ESI in February 2016, DNV GL ECO Insight has moved up to number 43 in the global ranking of incentive providers,”Fer van added.

Rotterdam is introducing an additional incentive to bunker LNG, liquefied natural gas. The Port of Rotterdam Authority has reserved a total of EUR 1.5 million for this incentive. The scheme will apply until 2020. Up until this time, seagoing vessels that bunker LNG in Rotterdam can benefit from a 10% discount on gross seaport dues thanks to the new scheme. Allard Castelein – CEO of the Port of Rotterdam Authority – announced this on 15 December 2015 during the second day of the ‘LNG Masterplan final event’. LNG is the cleanest fossil fuel. Encouraging the use of this fuel is in keeping with the Port Authority’s aim to make Rotterdam’s port the most sustainable in its class.

The tariffs which visiting sea-going vessels pay in Rotterdam will increase by 0.5% next year. That is half of the past year’s inflation rate. This is in accordance with the three-year agreement made last year between Deltalinqs, VRC, VNPI and the Port Authority on changes to the port tariffs. At the time, the parties agreed to allow an increase in tariffs equal to half of the inflation rate, with a maximum of 1% per annum, for a period of three years. In addition, the Port Authority applies a number of targeted measures to encourage specific sectors, such as container transhipment. In the container sector, the Port Authority is aiming to increase the number of transhipment containers.