India implements ship emission monitoring and electronic BDN mandate

Indian shipowners and companies are now required to upload monthly fuel consumption data for ships of 400 gross tonnes (GT) and above.

PHOTO: Cargo ship at Jawaharlal Nehru Port in Mumbai. This port, also known as Nhava Sheva, is the largest container port in India. Getty Images

On 3 January, India’s Directorate of General Shipping (DGS) issued a circular on fuel consumption data collection for ships. The collected data will go towards the IMO’s certification requirement for Energy Efficiency of Existing Ships (EEXI) and Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII), which came into effect on 1 January.

Additionally, DGS has mandated that all bunker suppliers use its online platform, Swaach Sagar, to generate electronic bunker delivery notes (E-BDNs).

During the bunker license renewal process, the Indian Register of Shipping (IRS) will verify that a supplier has issued E-BDNs for all bunkers supplied. If any discrepancy is discovered in the generation of E-BDNs, a supplier's bunker license may be revoked. 

The IMO's Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) for newbuilds has been applicable since 2013, wherein shipyards are required to calculate the EEDI of newbuilds and ensure they fall below the allowed limit.

The EEXI is aimed at making existing ships more energy efficient. As a result, shipowners will need to take measures reduce carbon dioxide emissions from their vessels.

Meanwhile, CII will be used to determine how efficiently a vessel transports cargo or passengers. Vessels will be given ratings between A-E based on their CII, wherein A is best rated.

By Nithin Chandran

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