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As of 1 January 2011, the ports of Amsterdam, Moerdijk, Dordrecht and Rotterdam will be rewarding clean ocean-going vessels with discounts on their port dues.

The Environmental Ship Index (ESI) is a project of the World Port Climate Initiative (WPCI), which identifies seagoing ships that perform better in reducing air emissions than required by the current emission standards of the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

The ESI is a certificate that will be awarded by the WPCI from 1 January 2011 onwards. The index was designed by the ports of Le Havre, Bremen, Hamburg, Antwerp, Amsterdam and Rotterdam.

The ESI evaluates the amount of nitrogen oxide (NOx), sulphur oxide (SOx) that is released by a ship and includes a reporting scheme on the greenhouse gas emission of the ship. The ESI will aim to provide an indication of the environmental performance of ocean going vessels and assist in identifying cleaner ships.

The index is intended to be used by ports to reward ships when they participate in the ESI and to promote clean ships, but can also be used by shipowners as their own promotional instrument.

The ports of Amsterdam, Moerdijk, Dordrecht and Rotterdam will be the first to start using the ESI to reward clean ocean-going vessels. Hans Smits, Port of Rotterdam Authority CEO said: “It is very important that seaports develop in a sustainable way. Making port tariffs greener and rewarding clean vessels is in keeping with this. The more ports and ships that use the ESI, the more this will start to influence behaviour in the shipping industry.”

The ports of Antwerp, Hamburg and Bremen have also announced their intention to use the ESI.

For further information on the Environmental Ship Index, please visit www.environmentalshipindex.org.