The Port of London Authority is to offer discounts on port taxes for vessels that achieve an emission level rating of 30 or above as per the Environmental Shipping Index (ESI) scoring system.
Through implementing financial incentives, the port will pay special recognition to cleaner vessels by rewarding them with reduced taxes based on their environmental performance. In doing this they hope to encourage ship owners to improve the efficiency of their vessels.
The ESI takes into account emissions of pollutants such as nitrogen oxides (NOx), CO2 and sulphur oxides (SOx) in order to rank the environmental performance of ships and reward the ones that exceed current standards set by the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
Participation in the ESI rating is in line with the port’s Thames Vision that was developed 18 months ago to plan the development of the river over the next 20 years, including potential increased use of the river and progressive improved environmental and habit conditions.
Head of the Port of London Authority, Christopher Rodrigues, commented: “As Custodians of the tidal Thames, introducing this discount is one of the first things we are doing to recognise the uptake of new and green technologies. Our overall goal, set through the Thames Vision project, is to reduce the port’s environmental impact and this initiative is the start of that journey”.
Director of policy in UK Chamber of Shipping, David Balston, added: “The shipping industry is committed to leading the way on improvements in environmental performance and as such we wholeheartedly welcome the Port of London Authority’s approach to rewarding those investing to increase their fleet efficiency and lower their emissions impact”.
Ship Efficiency Review News
To contact the reporter responsible for this article, please email editor@fathom-mi.com
