Cosco Pride – Rotterdam’s most sustainable ship

Cosco sets an example for shipping

Antwerp/Rotterdam, 20 April 2013


According to the Environmental Ship Index, the container ship Cosco Pride was the most sustainable vessel to call at the port of Rotterdam last year. Cosco Container Lines actually had five ships in Rotterdam’s top ten sustainable ships in 2012.

Today, Saturday 20 April, the Cosco Pride was back in Rotterdam. In honour of its top position the Chinese shipping line organised a gathering on the ship’s bridge. Cosco Container Lines fully supports ‘green ocean navigation’. “By further optimizing the current vessels and increasing vessel energy efficiency Cosco is paying full attention to the environment protection, energy saving and emission reduction and has firmly implemented the low carbon development strategy”, according to Peter den Breejen, manager of Cosco Netherlands.

Seaspan Corparation
“The Port of Rotterdam still sets the tone in safe ship operation with its Green Award scheme. And when it comes to sustainable ship operation the ESI initiative enhances Rotterdam’s international standing even more. Cosco Pride is a Seaspan owned ship, and we manage her, but it was Cosco who urged us to enter our 8500 TEU and 13000 TEU ships in the ESI scheme. Cosco Pride’s high ESI score is the result of team efforts, in which Cosco is without any doubt the leader”, according to Rob Grool (Seaspan) The vessel’s owner was addressed by, among others, Fer van de Laar from the World Port Climate Initiative, the organisation which indexes the vessels. According to him, Cosco “sets an example for shipping”.

Number 1
The World Port Climate Initiative awarded Cosco Pride 51 of the possible 100 points, putting it 0.3 points ahead of number 2, the Wilson Newcastle. That was due to the so-called TIER II auxiliary and main engines (current most stringent emission requirements for NOx), the use of low-sulphur fuel (below 0.1%) in ports, the existence of an Energy Management Plan and a share-based power connection.

Environmental Ship Index
With 75 points, the Silius Rederi tanker Olympus is top of the worldwide ESI rankings. At the beginning of 2013 more than 2000 ships were listed in the index. 23 ports and other organisations (so-called incentive providers) reward so-called ESI ships. In Rotterdam ESI ships with 31 or more points receive a reduction of € 600,000 in total on their port dues.

In 2010 the World Port Climate Initiative launched the Environmental Ship Index (ESI) in London. The ESI was designed by the ports of Le Havre, Bremen, Hamburg, Antwerp, Amsterdam and Rotterdam. The index indicates the environmental performance of vessels based on their emissions of air pollutants (NOx and SOx) and CO2. Ports and other nautical service providers throughout the world can use the index to reward ships and, in this way, encourage sustainable behaviour in the shipping industry.

Top 20
1. Cosco Pride
2. Wilson Newcastle
3. Hyundai Smart
4. Cosco Harmony
5. Cosco Development
6. Cosco Faith
7. Cosco Glory
8. Diamant
9. Oleg Strashnov
10. Maran Atlas
11. Orcana
12. Ghibli
13. Robijn
14. Clipper Burgundy
15. Cosco Excellence
16. Clipper Brunello
17. MSC Ilona
18. Norsky
19. MSC Lauren
20. Heroic Leader
21. Fraternity
22. APL Qingdao
23. MSC Methoni
24. Maersk Lirquen
25. Maersk Elba

Port of Rotterdam Authority press release