Ports could benefit from CO2 indexing
Carbon dioxide emissions are becoming a major issue and talks are already under way to establish a CO2 emission certificate trading system for shipping. First though, the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) has been tasked to develop a CO2 index for ships which would form the basis of any future CO2 emission certificate trading scheme.
The availability and functionality of such an index has already been verified by German classification society Germanischer Lloyd (GL) which has made available a prototype version to all GL-classed ships. The index can compute CO
2
values on the basis of installed ship power, consumed fuel and transported cargo and then compare these with other ships’ indices. Eventually, the index will be used to minimise emissions from sea-going transport.
The system calculates the CO2 index for each voyage and later averaged for a still to be defined period (a year might be practical). At the end of the period, a GL surveyor will check the recorded data and then issue – on behalf of a flag state – a certified CO2 index which is then valid for the next period. If data for more than one vessel is entered – visible for the owner and manager of a particular vessel or fleet – a comparison of CO2-indices across a fleet is possible. This function is expected to trigger a learning curve because the differences in fuel consumption will be made explicit and more transparent with the data associated to each vessel and voyage segment.
GL believes that port authorities too would be able to use the data to accelerate the trend towards reducing port fees for more energy-efficient vessels. With most fees currently based on tonnage, the index could herald a standardised fee system based on tonnage and emissions.
However, GL’s Dr Pierr Sames advises ports to err on the side of caution; for if the index is adopted only regionally, as opposed to globally, then it could engender aggressive competition between ports. “The global system we anticipate should not disrupt competition but drive innovation. If a global system is realised then competition between ports would be negligible.”
A pre-requisite for the CO2 index to work is that data must be made public and this, says Dr Sames, can only be achieved when a global system is in place. Only then could port authorities really have a role to play, but they can start by encouraging transparency.
It is believed that IMO could agree to implement a CO2 certificate trading scheme by 2013.
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