Environmental groups are raising the pressure on the European Union to include a key carbon efficiency measure in new rules on ship inspections.
EU legislators will convene on 19 February to determine the future modernisation of vessel inspections across Europe, as part of ongoing negotiations regarding its Port State Control Directive.
Green campaigners — the Environmental Defense Fund, Transport & Environment, Seas At Risk, NABU and Opportunity Green — have now expressed their concern that decarbonisation legislation is not going far enough in an open letter to mobility and transport commissioner Adina Valean, the EU Council, and European Parliament rapporteur Vera Tax.
The lobbyists want the International Maritime Organization’s Carbon Intensity Indicator used when assessing ships’ environmental risk.
New changes to the directive are aimed at bringing the EU in line with the requirements of the IMO and the Paris Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control.
The European Commission also wants to include CII scores in how a ship risk profile is determined from 2026.
A low rating of D or E would increase this risk and raise the likelihood of a port state inspection.
This decision was backed by the European Parliament
But in December, the ruling EU Council failed to endorse the move.
Important tool
“We applaud the efforts of the European Union towards its revision and the updating of criteria on shipping’s environmental impact,” the letter reads.
And the groups pointed out that owners can improve their CII score by slow-steaming or retrofitting energy-saving devices
But they added: “CII is an important tool for the EU and member states to reduce risks and lead to minimise shipping’s environmental impact, and a further step towards modernisation of the EU port inspection regime.
“We therefore urge co-legislators to include CII in the Port State Control Directive,” the pressure groups concluded.
