Emissions verification company for the transport sector, Verifavia, announced an expansion of its offering, as it will now include global verification services for the Clean Shipping Index (CSI), an independent rating system of the environmental performance of ships and shipping companies.
CSI seeks to deliver market incentives for clean shipping, and encourage shipping practices that are sustainable and environmentally responsible in the long term.
The CSI verification service is an extension of Verifavia’s portfolio of services for the shipping sector, which includes EU MRV (Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification), IMO DCS (Data Collection System), and CCWG (Clean Cargo Working Group) verification.
According to the agreement, Verifavia will offer its verification services to shipowners anywhere in the world who want to have their company and vessels verified according to the CSI requirements.
Additionally, there is a financial incentive for CSI certified shipping companies. Shipowners whose ships get full CSI verification can benefit from lower port fees at participating ports, including the Port of Vancouver and the Port of Prince Rupert.
In fact, from January 1st 2018, the Swedish Maritime Administration will introduce differentiated fairway tax fees for vessels that are more environmentally friendly than their counterparts, based on the CSI rating.
Namely, ships with a verified performance of three or more CSI stars will benefit from reduced fairway dues when visiting Swedish waters.
Merijn Hougee, Director, Clean Shipping Index, noted: “We are very pleased to have partnered with Verifavia Shipping, which shares our vision to see clean ships sailing in healthy seas. Despite being a voluntary scheme, we are seeing increasing pressure from cargo owners who are looking beyond their own factory gates to ensure that they operate in an environmentally friendly way throughout their supply chain. Shipping companies choosing to become CSI certified and obtain good environmental performance may therefore benefit from customer preference as well as reduced fairway – and port – fees.”
To achieve CSI verification, operators must complete a short questionnaire regarding the environmental performance of their ship, against the clean shipping criteria. The questions cover general information about the shipping company, as well as vessel-specific information to determine how environmentally friendly the ship is in relation to its CO2, NOx, SOx, and particulate matter emissions, as well as the procedures used to handle operational discharges resulting from chemicals, water, and waste.
Based on the information that will be gathered, a ranking system of between 0-150 will determine how environmentally friendly the vessel is. The higher the points achieved, the better the environmental performance of the vessel, Verifavia concluded.
