Environmental Ship Index : an incentive to go furtherouillon auto
Initiated in Le Havre in 2012, the Environmental Ship Index (ESI) incentive applied to 326 calls in 2017.
This corresponds to the highest total over the last six years, showing the growing efforts made by shipping companies to comply with new environmental demands regarding the emission of pollutants and greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
Envisioned as early as 2008 by a consortium of 6 ports including the Port of Le Havre, the ESI was conceived as a performance evaluation tool regarding emissions of nitrogen oxides, sulphur oxides, and carbon dioxides. Supported by the IAPH (International Association of Ports and Harbours), the ESI is « an incentive » created to encourage an increasingly large number of vessels to be « more virtuous in terms of air emissions ».
Jean-Paul Raffini, Head of the Sustainable Development Department at HAROPA
– Port of Le Havre.
While other ports have chosen to « reduce » harbour dues, the Port of Le Havre has opted for another approach : « we believe that our clients have to be treated equally », says Jean-Paul Raffini. « We want to reward performance by encouraging shipping companies to go beyond regulatory requirements ». Each year, almost € 110,000 are distributed between the most virtuous companies in terms of air emissions. According to him, this is the best way to « encourage everybody to go further » and protect the environment.