Five environmental NGOs have issued an open letter to the European Commission, to include the Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) in the EU Port State Control Directive.
In particular, the open letter to co-legislators by environmental groups Environmental Defense Fund, NABU, Seas at Risk, Opportunity Green, and Transport & Environment, emphasises the importance of including climate pollution performance in the Union’s ship inspection risk framework using the Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII), a global measure in force globally since 2023 under the MARPOL Convention of the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
"We, the undersigned, emphasise that the 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" said the NGOs in their letter
On 1 June 2023, the European Commission presented a legislative package to modernise and reinforce maritime rules on safety and pollution prevention. This package contains proposals for the revision of five legal acts, among them the Port State Control Directive (PSCD).
The aim is to update these acts so that they are in line with the requirements of the International Maritime Organization and the regional organisation for port state control established under the Paris Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
"We applaud the efforts of the European Union towards its revision and the updating of criteria on shipping’s environmental impact" noted the NGOs
The Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) is a mandatory measure under MARPOL. According to the NGOs, it is key to reducing the climate and environmental impact of shipping, a sector where significant and affordable reductions are possible in this decade.
Furthermore, when ships slow down to improve their CII, they are also less likely to collide with and kill/injure whales and other ocean wildlife, produce less underwater noise pollution, as well as air pollution increasing human health and less polluting in general.
As a goal-based metric, CII allows individual ships and companies to make use of any one of a variety of technical and operational measures at their disposal, like slow steaming or retrofitting Energy Saving Technologies (EST). To remind, During the 2023 GREEN4SEA Athens Forum, Maria Tsompanoglou, Energy Performance Manager, Pantheon Tankers Management Ltd, presented an overview of the impact of specific energy-saving technologies on the EEXI & CII for large tankers and bulk carriers.
"CII is a technology agnostic means for the EU and Member States to minimise the risk of pollution and all-around risks in and around European ports, understanding that vessels not complying to such standard might raise concerns or suspicions for other negligence" the environmental organizations expressed in their letter
Source: safety4sea.com
