TOKYO: The Port of Tokyo will become Japan’s first and Northeast Asia’s second port to join the international Environmental Ship Index program and reward environment-friendly container ships.
The Port of Tokyo, Japan’s largest container port, will start providing discounts on port dues for ocean-going ships with ESI scores of 20 or higher on April 1 under its “green ship incentive” scheme, the Tokyo metropolitan government announced.
The Tokyo government said that the discounts on port dues under the green ship incentive scheme will be 30 percent for ships with ESI scores of between 20 and 29.9, 40 percent for ships with ESI scores of between 30 and 39.9 and 50 percent for ships with ESI scores of 40 or higher.
Under the auspices of the International Association of Ports and Harbors, the World Ports Climate Initiative launched the ESI in January 2011 as an international standard for calculating nitrogen oxide, sulfur oxide and other emissions from ships.
According to the WPCI’s website, the aim of the ESI is “to achieve a genuine reduction in emissions of NOx, SOx and particulates, as well as CO2 [carbon dioxide] in the longer term, to be achieved by initiating changes in behavior among ship owners/operators and ports.”
The ESI is intended to be used by ports to reward ships when they participate in the ESI and will promote clean ships, but the index can also be used by shippers and ship owners as their own promotional instrument, the WPCI says.
The total number of ships with valid ESI scores is currently 3,194. There are currently 29 incentive providers as participants in the ESI program, including South Korea’s Port of Busan, which became the first port in Northeast Asia to implement the ESI program in January. The Port of Los Angeles, and Canada’s Port of Prince Rupert and Port Metro Vancouver also participate in the program.
