New associate member: Environmental Port Index (EPI)

Just six years on from the Environmental Port Index (EPI) going operational, the first southern port has signed up as a member: Lisbon.

Ana Lourenco, cruise manager at the Port of Lisbon, says: “The implementation of EPI at the Port of Lisbon represents a significant step towards enhancing the environmental sustainability of cruiseship operations. By adopting the EPI, the Port of Lisbon strengthens its commitment to sustainability, aligning with international environmental goals and fostering cleaner cruise operations.”

Not only is this move significant in terms of the reach of the EPI (beyond its fledgling Norwegian borders), but also for the index itself as the Port of Lisbon wants to extend data collection to include non-cruise segments of shipping.

Even Husby, ceo EPI, says: “We are starting a pilot in August looking at container ships too. For EPI this is a starting point for developing this kind of system. If we can extend EPI to other segments, it will be a much better impact statement.”

Getting back to the here and now however, it was in 2017 that Bergen, together with 11 cruise ports in Norway, got together with DNV to develop the EPI. The focus of this was to analyse the environmental impact of ships on ports, with a focus on air emissions, but also to develop an indicator which can be used for incentive systems.

“As ports we have a limited opportunity to impact shipowner decisions but one thing we can impact is the economical case,” says Husby. “If we link costs with environmental performance, this could be an idea to improve things in the port. This has turned out to be the case.”

While the incentive any one port may choose to give a particular ship has nothing to do with the EPI system itself, the performance score the index provides most certainly does. “The score is linked to an individual port call. If a ship does well on a specific call then the owner gets a rebate but equally if it does badly, there is a penalty.”

It is all about seeing improvement which is positive for everyone concerned. Having empirical evidence, such as that provided by the EPI, has also proved itself more than worthwhile in engaging with, and explaining to, communities what may not always be clear.

Husby cites the example of Bergen where recent political discussions took place on how much CO2 was coming from cruiseships and why it was on the rise. “To begin with they referred to national statistics which were quite misleading, but then they looked into the EPI system which documents, quite accurately, fuel and energy consumption. At the end they could see that there was no increase in CO2 emissions, even though there was an increase in calls.” This can be put down to the advent of LNG-powered ships, more energy efficiency on board and the installation of OPS.

Both Husby and EPI ambassador, Annfinn Hjelm, are keen to point out: “Our aim is not to be a greenwashing service for the ports. We must focus on the positive and not-so-positive. Basically, we are developing knowledge which a port can use to improve their operation, have dialogue with ship owners and incentivise them, as well as educate local politicians, journalists and the community when necessary”.

The index can also be a great tool for so many of the ports which have only a small team, and one without specific knowledge about environmental impacts. The EPI has a support service, together with DNV, whereby data can be requested to demonstrate just what is going on when a cruiseship calls.

The vast majority of current EPI ports are in the North Atlantic area, but Hjelm is already talking with ports in the UK and France about joining. The pair have also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH), which operates the Environmental Ship Index (ESI), on how they can develop a future together with just one system. “Although we have a slightly different approach, both systems focus on emissions so in that sense the two are quite similar. Hopefully we will have something by the end of the year on how we move ahead,” says Husby.

Extending the EPI’s reach to more ports and other ship segments is high on the agenda and will undoubtedly add to its contribution to reducing the impact on the environment, as Hjelm explains: “Between 2022 and 2024 alone, the EPI network achieved a 20% reduction in CO₂ emissions across its partner ports.”