EEDI approach not feasible for small ships, says report

Report concludes that basic EEDI calculation methodology requires 'further refinement'.

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Updated on 24 Feb 2010 10:19 GMT

A report on the Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) has been prepared by Finnish design and engineering consultancy Deltamarin Ltd. The report, which was commissioned by the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA), provides information on tests and trials for several ship types for the evaluation of the applicability of the EEDI (Energy Efficiency Design Index), and provides an insight into the complexity of a vessel’s CO2 efficiency. Deltamarin’s extensive research into improving the energy efficiency of newbuildings as well as the existing fleets of its customers provided the foundation of the company's analysis. The report shows through examples that EEDI would mainly lead to power limitations for new ships. This, in turn, would lead to standardizing design speeds at a certain level depending on ship type and size. Regarding the applicability of the EEDI, the report concludes that the current approach could be feasible with certain reservations for large ocean-going cargo ships which have uniform design criteria, i.e. large tankers, bulk carriers, containerships, LNG carriers, LPG carriers, RoRo vehicle carriers and the largest general cargo ships. These ship types account for the majority of CO2 emissions from shipping. However, the report concluded that the current EEDI approach was not feasible for small vessels, passenger, RoPax and RoRo ships and short sea shipping in general or ships designed for a certain route or with a specific transportation task in mind. "For these ship types the basic calculation methodology still requires further refinement," Deltamarin said. The report has been distributed to all EU flag authorities and the relevant industry organisations, such as shipyard and ship owner associations within the EU. A summary of the conclusions has been sent to IMO MEPC 60 (Marine Environment Protection Committee 60th session) by the EU commission and 19 EU member states. The entire ‘EEDI test and trials for EMSA’ report can be downloaded at the following address on the EMSA website: http://www.emsa.europa.eu/end185d012d003.html