Energy efficiency design formula agreed

A technical benchmarking formula being developed to assess the theoretical energy efficiency of individual ship designs has been finalised.

However, final agreement on the thorny issue of defining ro-ro vessels still needs to be resolved.

The ability to calculate how efficient a ship is by defining its power capabilities, and therefore its CO2 emissions, in relation to its cargo capacity, is seen by regulators as one of the key tools in reducing the shipping industry’s contribution to global warming.

The energy efficiency design index is one of three proposals that have gained some ground in the political debates at the International Maritime Organization over global warming. However, it became bogged down as the proposed formula was seen as being too simplistic to be applicable to may ship types, particularly ro-ro vessels.

Participants at the expert group meeting told Lloyd’s List that they made headway in developing correction factors to the formula to allow unique scenarios such as shuttle tankers and ice class vessels be accounted for rather than be unfairly judged.

The objective is that the EEDI is calculated for a proposed ship design and is then matched against a reference line, which it should be under. A series of reference lines, for the major ship types has now been agreed.The IMO has yet to decide how this is to be used to create incentives for efficiency improvements.

The finalised formula will now be presented at the autumn meeting of the IMO’s marine environmental protection committee for final adoption. This MEPC meeting is crucial as it falls just before the next UN climate change meeting Mexico later in the year, the follow up to the lack-lustre Copenhagen talks in December 2009.

Having failed to make headway on the sensitive topic of market based instruments suitable to force shipping to reduce its CO2 footprint, the IMO hopes to able to formally agree the EEDI, the voluntary energy efficiency operational indicator and the ship energy efficiency management plan.

These three are likely to be written into an existing regulation, such as Marine pollution convention, to enable them to become law quickly .

Ro-ro vessels remain a sticking point. There are now four different definitions of ro-ros to ensure vessel designs are not unfairly penalised. As well as car carrying deepsea ro-ro vessels and passenger ferries that have ro-ro capabilities, ro-ros are also defined as weight carriers, or volume carriers to enable their operational profile be better reflected in the design formula and comparable benchmark. How the EEDI applies to ro-ro vessels will now be dealt with in October.

Source: Lloyds' List