From July 1 this year the incentive will apply to eligible ships among the 236 container carriers and cruise vessels – a 60/40% split – that call at the port. Other sectors will be added in 2018.      Â
The WPCI features the Environmental Ship Index (ESI), which scores atmospheric pollution on a zero to 100 scale.
Currently around 50 ports worldwide offer reduced call charges based on the ESI.
Marseille Fos reductions will apply from a score of 35 - the level attributed to ships equipped to take shoreside electrical power at berth instead of using onboard diesel generators.
The port was the first in France to announce a cold ironing facility following an agreement with Corsica and Sardinia ferry operator La Meridionale.
The company’s three ships have been equipped since January. For each vessel, CO2 and particle emissions have been cut by the equivalent of more than 3,000 vehicles per day on the 64km route from Marseille to Aix, while NOx emissions are down by the equivalent of 65,000 vehicles per day.
In a further green initiative, Marseille Fos has launched a website link to reinforce its cooperation with AirPACA, the air quality monitoring association for the Provence-Alpes-Cote d’Azur region.
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