State-owned New Mangalore Port Authority will offer discount in port dues to cargo ships based on the Environmental Ship Index (ESI) score given by the International Association of Ports and Harbours (IAPH) to reward eco-friendly vessels and promote green shipping.
The Environmental Ship Index (ESI) score of the International Association of Ports and Harbours (IAPH) is a metric used to evaluate a ship’s environmental performance based on its emissions of pollutants like sulphur oxides (SOx) and nitrogen oxides (NOx). This enables port authorities to incentivize cleaner vessels by offering benefits to ships with higher ESI scores – indicating a more environmentally friendly ship.
The port authority which runs the major port at New Mangalore in Karnataka will offer a 0.5% discount in port dues to ships having an ESI score of 30 or more but less than 40, the New Mangalore Port Authority wrote in a 30 January trade notice.
Ships having an ESI score of 40 or more but less than 50, will be offered a discount of 1% in port dues, while vessels having an ESI score of 50 or more will be entitled to a discount of 1.5% in port dues, which is one of the three components of the vessel related charges or VRC collected from ships by the port authorities.
The discount will be extended to all cargo ships calling at the port and will be valid till 31 March 2025 and reviewed thereafter.
To avail the discount, the vessel agent will have to furnish the ship master’s counter signed copy of the certificate issued by IAPH, listing out the ESI score.
All vessels calling at New Mangalore Port will have to mandatorily submit the ESI score certificate issued by IAPH irrespective of whether the discount is applicable or not.
Ships not having an ESI score certificate will have to submit a self-declaration from the vessel or its agent stating that the vessel does not have an ESI score given by IAPH.
New Mangalore is the second major port to offer such discounts to cargo ships after Mormugao Port Authority, which runs the port at Goa.
The discounts are being offered under the ‘Harit Sagar’ Green Port Guidelines issued by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, which controls the 12 major ports or those owned by the Union government.
(source: ET Infra)