Hamburg Port to Attract Clean Ships with New Fee System
The Hamburg Port Authority (HPA) plans to introduce a new fee rating system featuring an environmental component in an effort to support clean vessels calling at the port.
“Our tariff and environmental policy sends a clear signal to the citizens of Hamburg, the shipping companies, and port industries. We aim to sustainably contribute to the air pollution control and ensure that Hamburg remains attractive as a port of call,” Tino Klemm, Chief Financial Officer at HPA, commented.
The tariff system is in accordance with the current coalition agreement and air pollution control plan of the Hamburg Senate. Based on International Air Pollution Prevention (IAPP) certificates to be presented by port users, a part of the port fee will categorically be calculated based on environmental impacts in the future, according to the HPA.
The basic port fee rate for the majority of maritime transport will be adapted by 1.4% for 2018.
As explained, the new environmental component is generated at the expense of the BRZ component. There will be surcharges on the basic price when a vessel cannot present such an IAPP certificate or when emission levels are comparably poor. At the same time, there will be discounts when a vessel is rated as very clean based on the IAPP certificate.
Over the coming years, findings on the developments will be made and the importance of the environmental component will be expanded. The already existing five environmental discounts for especially clean vessels remain and will be allocated to this environmental component, the HPA said.
“Given the outstanding fairway adjustment, the reductions for especially large vessels and transshipment will be continued. The cap will not be increased either,” the HPA added.
The port authority noted that the positive response to the incentives is visible for example in the use of the Environmental Ship Index Environmental discount (ESI). Almost 6,000 vessels are already ESI-certified globally. Currently, 50 ports and other supporters around the world are contributing to further advance these developments with additional incentives. Most recently, almost every fifth call to the Port of Hamburg was not only slightly but considerably cleaner than required by law.
Image Courtesy: HHM/Jochen Wischhusen
