An alternative way of calculating a ship’s Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) rating that rewards more productive vessels by removing time spent in port has been submitted to the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
The emissions index proposed by online freight platform Shipnext is based on the technical parameters of vessels, their speed and fuel consumption whilst taking into consideration the cargo quantity and intended voyage.
The Shipnext Voyage Emission Index (SVEI) ignores fuel consumption in ports as the time taken is determined mainly by the terminals and not a vessel’s technical capabilities.
The index has been proposed as an alternative to the IMO’s CII rating, which many in the industry have criticised for failing to incentivise voyage optimisation and discriminating against vessels that spend a lot of time in port.
Shipnext founder and chief executive Alexander Varvarenko said taking into account the cargo being carried can completely change the emissions profile of a given voyage.
“Our approach stimulates owners to manage their vessels more efficiently with fewer ballast runs, while also continuing to follow all the other existing emissions indexes that are imposed on them around vessel construction.
“There has to be logic to how shipping lines are taxed for their emissions,” he added, saying the SVEI gave a fair and reasonable approach that allows shippers and carriers to share costs.
If managed properly and laden to full capacity, Shipnext said an older, higher-emitting vessel could prove ‘greener’ than a more modern ship that’s emitting more CO2 on a longer voyage.
The approach is being marketed to Shipnext’s more than 4,500 users of its cargo-to-ship matching online platform.
The IMO intends to revisit the CII before its provisions are strengthened in the years to come.
