By
Alex Smith |
Trade association Interferry is carrying out an energy efficiency data survey among its members to ensure that existing ferries can comply with new regulations on greenhouse gas emissions agreed by the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Marine Environment Protection Committee(MEPC).
The regulations, subject to final approval at a meeting of the MEPC in June, will require existing ships to have achieved new energy efficiency values by 2023 or lose their licence to operate. Interferry’s survey aims to reconcile the diversity of ferry operation with sector-specific adaptations to the Energy Efficiency Existing Ships Index (EEXI) to ensure that carbon dioxide reductions achieved by ferry operators are fully credited.
Interferry initially carried out a sample review of 125 roro cargo ships and 110 ropax vessels, finding that many of the ferries could not comply with the EEXI as currently proposed. The full data survey will be conducted before 25 December.
“IMO regulations are generally based on the conditions governing deep-sea shipping that are not always appropriate in the smaller shortsea segment,” said Johan Roos, regulatory affairs director for Interferry. “The main EEXI compliance option is power limitation. Ocean-going ships can typically limit their installed power and moderately reduce speed to meet the required average performance within a shipping sector. In contrast, the multi-various nature of passenger and cargo ferry services demands operational flexibility and there is no obvious technical solution to ensure regulatory compliance.”
The proposals also include operational measures to be introduced from 2026 under the Carbon Intensity Indicator, which would monitor annual improvements on each ship by comparing fuel consumption and distance sailed with an agreed base year.
“Between now and MEPC76 next June, a lot of work needs to be done working out the details both for the frameworks and for any necessary sector adaptations,” said Roos. “For Interferry members, it is critically important that we collect as much relevant fleet data as possible to ensure that the EEXI is implemented in a fair and reasonable manner.”