Port of Amsterdam announced its intention to double the bonuses awarded to ships listed on the Environmental Ship Index (ESI).
The index indicates the environmental performance of vessels based on the emission of air pollution (NOx and SOx) and carbon dioxide.The ESI incentive is deducted from the port dues. The index, which was established five years ago, lists more than 3,800 vessels.
Port of Amsterdam says that it awards vessels with financial incentives, which will be deducted from the port dues in a transparent manner. The ESI performance is displayed based on a scale from 0 to 100: a score of 1 indicates an improvement over the current environmental regulations for shipping, while 100 denotes an excellent performance. Of the 3,810 vessels listed, a total of 169 seagoing vessels have a score of 50 or higher while two ships have received a score of 100 points.
Vessels with an ESI score of 20 points or higher are eligible to receive a discount from the Port of Amsterdam. Vessels that attain a higher score, 31 points or higher, are awarded a bonus in addition to this regular discount. This bonus amount is set to be doubled from 1 January 2016.
Port of Amsterdam COO Koen Overtoom stated: ‘Port of Amsterdam is a sustainable port, which means we encourage vessels to help preserve the environment. Cleaner ships contribute to improving air quality, which we believe is important for the region and its population’
The ESI is designed by the ports of Le Havre, Bremen, Hamburg, Antwerp, Amsterdam and Rotterdam.
Source: The Port of Amsterdam
