The International Association of Ports and Harbours (IAPH) has developed a GHG performance indicator for its Environmental Ship Index (ESI) port incentive scheme for shipowners.
In a submission it has made on the energy efficiency of ships, IAPH has welcomed the introduction of the Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) as a positive development but also acknowledges the concerns of the shipping industry and International Maritime Organization (IMO) member states about the shortcomings of the indicator in its current form.
IAPH has therefore decided to develop its own GHG performance indicator as part of the forthcoming expansion and revision of the IAPH Environmental Ship Index (ESI) which will become fully operational as of 2026.
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Owners of the 6,425 container, cargo, cruise and passenger vessels registered on the index are able to benefit from the 80-plus port incentive providers around the globe because the environmental performance of their fleets exceeds IMO emissions standards. Both incentive providers and receivers are now working to adapt their data collection based on the new parameters, ahead of the January 2026 launch.
The changes in ESI will go into effect in 2026, enhancing the current system to comprehensively assess vessels’ performance not only on greenhouse gas emissions but also on air emissions (SOx, NOx), at berth performance, as well as ambient and underwater noise.
In addition, the planned transition of the Index in 2026 will reward innovation on board, including carbon capture, wind assistance, batteries and air lubrification. This will be achieved through a separate innovation module which will be periodically reviewed to adjust to technological and market realities.
“As our highly successful ESI voluntary incentive scheme designed by ports for shipowners expands, IAPH is investing in this practical tool, which can be used here and now to help to decarbonise shipping and reduce emissions of all kinds, both at sea and in and around ports,” IAPH Managing Director Patrick Verhoeven commented.
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ESI is used globally by these ports to incentivise shipowners to improve their environmental performance. The ESI GHG performance indicator focuses on fuel transition, with a Well-to-Wake (WtW) approach using the carbon intensity of bunkered fuels.
The indicator does not include the distance sailed which, when combined with the operational realities of certain ship segments regarding fuel consumption (e.g. long berthing times or long waiting times before berthing) can lead to low CII.
IAPH reported that the approach would work with all future low- and zero-carbon fuels, remaining applicable and appropriate for all ship types and sizes, including the numerous vessels that are under 5,000 gross tonnes registered on the Index.
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IAPH Technical Director, Antonis Michail, commented: “In our submission to MEPC82, we state that although not directly integrating CII, the ESI GHG module remains close to it and the IMO short-term measure, using the same relevant data sources where applicable.
“We will adjust the frequency reporting to annually, after data verification by class. The Well-to-Wake (WtW) CO2e intensity values will be retrieved from either the Bunker Delivery Notes (BDNs) certificate of sustainability, or IMO defaults, with the global warming potential (GWP) of the different fuels also being taken into account.”
Earlier this year, the IAPH announced the launch of a study to evaluate energy-related port investments in developing countries.
