Norway rolls out green port tool company

Bergen’s Environmental Port Index (EPI) tool is used to measure a vessel’s level of pollution when in port enabling the adjustment of dues and fees, creating a strong incentive for shipping companies to reduce emissions.

“Port of Bergen aims to be a driving force for more environmentally friendly shipping,” said Johnny Breivik, managing director for Port of Bergen.

“EPI has proven to be a high-quality, useful tool to reduce emissions to air from vessels in port and the work we have done has attracted considerable interest both nationally and internationally. We thus feel that the time has come for EPI to be launched in the international market.”

Joint industry project

The EPI was originally conceived in a joint industry project with DNVGL and ten other Norwegian cruise ports in 2017.

Before the beginning of the 2020 season, 16 ports had the EPI in place and ready to use.

The tool allows vessels provide information on their visit when leaving port and the ports receive up-to-date data on CO2, NOx and SO2 emissions, use of onshore power supply, use of waste gas treatment systems and consumption of fuel.

This information is used to calculate an EPI Score; a number indicating a ships operational efficiency and impact on the environment when in port. The score can be used by any individual port to adjust dues and fees.

Going forward, the system will be expanded to cover more vessel types as well as more environmental aspects such as waste, discharges to sea, and noise.