Int’l delegation to explore Mormugao port’s green shipping incentives

Panaji: A delegation of the International Association of Ports and Harbours (IAPH) has decided to visit Mormugao port to understand the Mormugao Port Authority’s (MPA) role in “decarbonising ports and shipping”. The port launched the Harit Shrey programme offering Green Ship incentives in Oct 2023, to reward ships that have lower carbon footprints. The port is the first in India to offer such incentives.

The IAPH delegation, which will be visiting Goa on Feb 27, wants to explore strategies to implement the port’s initiatives across global ports.

“This ground-breaking effort has garnered significant attention globally, including at the World Ports Conference in Hamburg,” said Ennarasu Karunesan, the IAPH Regional Director, India. Karunesan said the international delegation led by IAPH secretary general Masahiko Furuchi and technical committee director Suzuki Takeshi, want to “discuss the environmental ship index (ESI) initiative and explore its implementation across global ports.” The delegation also plans to meet relevant stakeholders in Goa.

In an earlier conversation with the MPA authorities, Furuchi said the port’s role in decarbonising ports and shipping is inspiring others in the region.

“Initially, incentives were offered to vessels with an ESI score of 30 or more, but the scheme was revised on Dec 1 and now offers incentives to vessels that have an ESI score of 20 and more,” said MPA chairperson N Vinodkumar. Since the scheme was launched, just eight vessels have qualified, and approximately Rs 92,000 has been offered to operators.

One of the biggest challenges for the implementation of the scheme has been the absence of standardised documentation of a ship’s ESI score. “Many of the agents do not know the ESI score of the vessel. They don’t even know where to find the ESI score, and we have had to create awareness and inform them,” said Vinodkumar. Port authorities said the high upfront costs for green technology adoption and the lack of clarity about environmental standards hinder the expansion of the scheme.