Opposition to IMO Design Index

Opposition to IMO Design Index

The IMO environment committee, MEPC, has its work cut out as it faces detailed debate on the Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) and baseline formula. Differing approaches to the design index for newbuildings could hamper the efforts of the IMO to have it become mandatory soon. IMO members have been developing the energy efficiency design index as one of the key tools to prove that the organisation has the direction and capabilities to tackle greenhouse gas emissions from shipping.

Developed over the last 18 months, the index has been created to allow a set of benchmark levels for different ship types to be created and to then mandate future newbuildings to strive to be below a specific benchmark. However, the fundamental issues on the structure of the equation of the index, the formula for the benchmark and the definition and use of different ship types, has yet to be resolved.

A number of papers submitted into the MEPC meeting in March reveal the range of differences that still have to be dealt with. Greece has submitted papers revealing what it calls deficiencies in the formula for the EEDI that could lead to negative side effects as regards the overall energy efficiency and CO₂ emissions of tonnage. It has questioned data from Denmark on the calculations of the baseline against which vessels will be measured. Greece, along with the ferry lobby group Interferry and the Community of European Shipyards’ Associations (CESA), has raised specific questions over the application of the EEDI to ro-ro vessels.

Ro-ro vessels have been split into three groups and papers submitted to the IMO suggest that specific ships could fall between groups and therefore be deemed above the baseline or below depending on how the equations are applied. CESA has previously pointed out that, under certain conditions, a ro-ro vessel would have to travel under water in order to have a design index value below the proposed baseline and so prevent the owner having to be punished for a poor performance vessel.