European ports to offer discounts to environmentally friendly vessels

Ports of Stockholm will introduce new environmentally differentiated port fees in 2015 to encourage shipping companies to take environmental measures that go beyond the legal requirements, reports World Maritime News.

The decision comes ahead of new, more stringent sulphur regulations that apply from 1 January 2015 and for that reason the current system is being revised and new discounts introduced.

“To motivate and encourage our customers to reduce their environmental impact we are introducing new environmental discounts for onshore power supply in port, for LNG vessels, and for reduced nitrogen oxide emissions,” said Ports of Stockholm deputy managing director Henrik Widerståhl.

Ports of Stockholm will offer one million Swedish krona to every vessel that carries out refitting work to enable the vessel to connect to electricity at the quayside.
This applies at the quays where Ports of Stockholm is offering onshore power supply and under the condition that connection and service operation takes place over a three-year period.

For a normal-sized vessel operating daily calls this will mean a discount of between three to four million krona annually, depending on the amount of nitrogen oxide emitted.