Cruise players fear carbon-cutting measures that come into force next January will create “unintended consequences”, potentially driving up the sector’s absolute emissions.

Shipping as a whole has 12 months to prepare for the International Maritime Organization’s Energy Efficiency Existing Ship Index (EEXI) that it adopted last June, which will require vessels to meet the current Energy Efficiency Design Index standards for newbuildings.

But it is the regulator’s plan for annual monitoring of the carbon intensity of vessels that is uniquely proving a sticking point for passenger ships.

The Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII), also adopted last summer, will rate vessel efficiency between A and E and require those rated D and E to lower their emissions.

Although none of the leading cruise operators would be drawn on the detail of their plans to meet the new ratings, Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) has graded the current CII proposals an F, and is calling for them to be revised.

“The IMO’s recent adoption of the CII, while well-intentioned, requires further refinement to be truly useful,” the association told TradeWinds. “The focus on carbon intensity, without also considering its relationship to overall carbon output, could generate unintended consequences.

 

Source: tradewindsnews