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Germanischer Lloyd (GL) has undertaken its first Clean Shipping Index (CSI) verification for the product tanker Bit Viking.

GL issued the vessel with a Statement of Compliance confirming that the data submitted by owner Tarbit Shipping meets the requirements of the index, an essential step for ensuring the usefulness and transparency of the data provided for the new project.

GL was authorised to perform verification checks for the CSI in March and shortly thereafter undertook the verification of the Bit Viking. "The CSI is an important step in the growing process whereby the shipping industry moves to reduce its impact on the environment. A database built on data that is voluntarily supplied but independently and rigorously checked will build confidence in the Index in both shipping companies and their clients. The Index is generating a great deal of interest within the industry and we have already had a number of additional inquiries from owners and operators," said Markus Weber, GL’s Global Head of Greenhouse Gas Services.

The Bit Viking, a 25,000 dwt product tanker, is the world’s first vessel in service whose main machinery has been converted to burn LNG as fuel and also the largest commercial vessel which is not an LNG tanker, to use LNG as fuel. The conversion was undertaken under GL’s supervision. Based on the data submitted to the CSI and verified by GL, the Bit Viking has been rated as having a good environmental performance.

"For the cargo owners in the Clean Shipping Network, it is important that they are able to base their transport buying decisions on independent, third party verified data. This enhances the transparency of the data and adds legitimacy to the Index. This especially important as the number of cargo owners in the Network as well as the number of ships in the database grows. We are therefore grateful that leading classification organisations such as GL offer these verification services," said Göran Bengtsson, Chairman of the Board of the Clean Shipping Network Association.

The Clean Shipping Index is a web based tool which allows ship operators to voluntarily submit data on the environmental parameters of their ships and receive a ranking based on the overall performance of the vessel. Operators can also choose to have this data verified by a third party.

The index takes into account a number of criteria, including pollutants released into the air (carbon dioxide (CO2), sulphur dioxides and particulate matter (SO2 and PM), nitrogen oxides (NOx), for example), water and the chemicals used on board and operationally.

The CSI’s scoring system gives the vessel a ranking, which then gives a complete picture of a vessel’s impact on the environment. Cargo owners are then able to use the database to assess shippers in terms of their environmental performance, a valuable addition to the information which they can use to select firms to fulfil their charters.