January 1 this year saw the introduction of environmental discounts in the Port of Gothenburg, the aim being to incentivise vessels with high environmental performance. Edvard Molitor, Senior Manager Environment at the Port of Gothenburg Authority, reveals that the concept has got off to a great start.
The Port of Gothenburg’s environmental discounts were introduced to promote a reduction in environmental impact beyond the levels stipulated in international regulations and legislation. Since the system’s implementation earlier this year, the market’s signals have been highly positive.
“This method of saving money and, not least, of highlighting environmental dedication is of course appreciated by our customers. They also appreciate the fact that we have joined an established index system that makes it easier for many more participants to join in,” explains Edvard Molitor, Senior Manager Environment at the Port of Gothenburg Authority.
To date 25 vessels have joined the system and the proportion of ships meeting the discount requirements is higher than expected.
“25 ships is a relatively small proportion of all the vessels in the port, but these particular ships call very frequently. The exact proportion depends somewhat on how we define if a ship makes a port call, but a conservative estimate shows that one in six vessels using the Port of Gothenburg currently receives the environmental discount.”
Furthermore, this proportion is expected to rise in the future. Not least when vessels running on Liquefied Natural Gas or LNG start calling in at the Port of Gothenburg in 2016.
“LNG is a good way of cutting emissions but it requires investment in the vessels. By giving LNG ships up to 30 per cent discount we can help make LNG an attractive alternative in the economic perspective too. This is something that particularly appeals to the shipowners and it also clearly demonstrates that we are at the cutting edge in this sphere.”
Facts about the Port of Gothenburg’s environmental discounts
- The discount is based on two environmental indexes, the Environmental Ship Index (ESI) and Clean Shipping Index (CSI).
- Ships that score at least 30 ESI points or that are classified as ‘green’ as per CSI receive a 10 per cent discount on their harbour dues based on gross tonnage. The environmental discount is granted provided registration is carried out as per the regulations for ESI or CSI.
- For vessels powered by LNG an extra discount was introduced: they receive a 20 per cent discount when calling at the port. The LNG discount will apply until end December 2018.
- Shipping companies or operators of vessels entitled to the environmental discount (no. of ships): DFDS (6), Euro Marine Logistics (1), Hapag Lloyd (1), Inter Terminals (7), Stena (3), Tärntank (5), Wilson Eurocarriers (2)
Source & Image Credit: Port of Gothenburg
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