The Port of London is set to become the first UK port to recognise ship owners committed to improving their environmental performance, as part of a wider approach to reduce the port’s environmental impact.
The Port of London Authority (PLA) is to introduce a discount on port charges for vessels with lower emissions that meet an Environmental Shipping Index (ESI) score of 30, or above.
The ESI, developed by the World Ports Climate Initiative (WPCI), ranks ships’ environmental performance based on factors including emissions of nitrogen oxide, sulphur oxide, and carbon dioxide.
“The ESI provides a measure of the environmental performance of ocean-going vessels. We are excited to see the Port of London utilising the ESI for one of its intended purposes, by encouraging shipping lines to improve environmental performance and to reduce the port’s environmental impact,” Fer van de Laar, WPCI director, said.
With 70 terminals, the Port of London is the country’s second biggest port. More than 10,000 large commercial ships call on the Thames every year, carrying in excess of 45 million tonnes of cargo.
“Shipping is the most environmentally friendly method of moving large volumes of goods and materials. Nevertheless, more can be done to make shipping even cleaner. As ships represent a substantial capital investment, we want to encourage faster adoption of new green technologies by giving an added incentive to adopt cleaner technologies,” Christopher Rodrigues, PLA chairman, said.