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As of June 1, 2015, the port of Antwerp says it will grant a discount to sea-going ships that use alternative technology to reduce emissions of particulates.

The new discount comes on top of the existing Environmental Ship Index (ESI) discount, which means that in some cases ships can benefit from a 30 percent reduction in the port dues that are required to be paid when calling at Antwerp.

With this additional environmental discount, Antwerp Port Authority says it aims to "encourage investments in green technologies for more sustainable shipping, by supporting and rewarding these technology pioneers". The discount is being introduced for a period of three years and will be "gradually reduced", it says.

Describing its strategy to reduce emissions, the Belgian port said: "Antwerp Port Authority seeks to attract ships that make use of innovative, sustainable technology, encouraging them to come to Antwerp as the city and its port both suffer from high concentrations of air pollution such as particulates. The Particulates and NO2 Action Plan for the Port and City of Antwerp brings together the various measures that can be taken to reduce emissions of these polluting substances. The new discount system is one of the measures for tackling the environmental impact which ships have on the air quality in Antwerp."

Particulates discount

Ships can claim the discount as of June 1 if they can demonstrate that they either make effective use of scrubbers (in closed mode) or are powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG) for a period of at least 24 hours before they call at the port of Antwerp. Ships powered by LNG can receive a discount of 20 percent, while those that make use of closed scrubbers can obtain a discount of 15 percent. The percentages are to be gradually reduced as of 2016 in order to reward the 'early adopters' who make the necessary investment now. The percentages for 2016 are set at 15 percent and 10 percent respectively, and for 2017 they are due to be 10 percent and 5 percent.

ESI discount

In addition to the particulates discount, more environment-friendly ships in the port of Antwerp have benefited from the ESI discount for some time. The ESI is based on a system of credits ranging from 0 to 100 that ships can earn for having environmental performance better than required by the regulations for nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulphur oxides (SOx) and carbon dioxide (CO2). Ships that obtain 31 or more credits can have their bill for port dues reduced by 10 percent. The ESI system is currently supported by 25 ports and so far has benefited 3,067 ships.

Sustainable port

The introduction of the new discount forms part of Antwerp Port Authority's sustainability policy, one of the main aims of which is to achieve a sustainable shipping industry.