Lloyd’s Register, the London-based ship classification, consulting, and risk management firm, has announced it will offer a verification service to ship-owners and operators wishing to demonstrate their success in reducing the environmental impact of their activities beyond the requirements of classification or statutory rules and regulations in a company press release.
The verification service is approved by the Clean Shipping Project, the organization that developed the Clean Shipping Index, a tool which analyzes the environmental impacts of shipping activities, such as emissions to air and water, use of chemicals, and the effects of antifouling.
Lloyd’s Register has been involved with the Clean Shipping Project for years, providing advice in 2008 and early 2009 to support the development of the index - to ensure that it provides a reasonable representation of environmental performance. The company developed a trial verification process and tested it by delivering several trial verification of reported Clean Shipping Index scores with the support of leading Scandinavian ship operators.
The verification process, developed using insight from the combined experience of Lloyd’s Register Marine and Lloyd’s Register Quality Assurance Ltd, requires an audit of the ship and can be delivered in conjunction with other onboard inspections delivered by Lloyd's Register.
Canada Steamship Lines, meanwhile, is trying to reduce the environmental impact of its operations by signing an agreement with ECOSPEC Marine Technology to develop and install a system to reduce the CO2, SO2 and NOX emissions from its ocean trading vessels on the Great Lakes, while a consortium of shipping industry entities is pursuing an end-goal of reducing operational fuel consumption by 15-25 percent.
