BIMCO calls to make charterers responsible for ship emissions

A few weeks before the Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) ratings system comes into force, BIMCO has published a new clause that seeks to make charterers responsible for reducing carbon emissions from ships.

PHOTO: Exhaust gases flow from the funnel of a cruise ship. Getty Images

The new CII regulation will come into force from 1 January next year. It mandates shipowners to calculate an Energy Efficiency Existing Ship Index (EEXI) for each of their vessels, with a view to grant them a CII rating between A-E, wherein A is the best rated.

The collection of EEXI data needs to be completed by end of next year, and initial CII ratings are expected to be allocated by 2024.

BIMCO says that owners and charterers of ships should collaborate to jointly decide a CII target value for each year. Meanwhile, it holds charterers responsible for operating vessels, and argues that they should also be responsible for their emissions.

Publication of this clause follows a series of deliberations by a BIMCO subcommittee that comprises shipowners, charterers and legal and insurance experts, BIMCO says.

“The new clause will be reviewed as the underpinning regulatory regime develops,” says Nicholas Fell, chairperson of BIMCO’s Documentary Committee.

By Shilpa Sharma

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