Certified LNG Tankers to Pay Lower Port Fees in Rotterdam

Arctic Voyager LNG Carrier, Image: Port of Rotterdam

In a first for the industry, tankers transporting LNG will receive discounted port dues at the Port of Rotterdam.

The discount of 6% will only apply to those LNG tankers who have already received the Green Award, part of a voluntary certification scheme introduced by the independent Green Award Foundation. To date, 36 LNG tankers with a Green Award certificate are in operation.

Rotterdam is one of the main ports of Europe as well as one of the most important junctions of good flows in the world. Around 34,000 ocean-going vessels and 100,000 inland vessels pass through the port each year.

LNG tankers have been arriving in Rotterdam since the opening of the Gate terminal in 2011.

The Green Award is a certificate for ships and shipping companies who have made investments to improve their environmental performance as well as the safety and quality of their vessels. It was set up in 1994 by Rotterdam Municipal Port Management and the Dutch Ministry of Transport, and has been completely independent since January 2000.

Around 250 sea-going ships and 350 inland vessels have been certified to date. The Green Award Foundation began to certify LNG tankers last year.

The Port of Rotterdam provided the equivalent of more than â‚¬2 million in monetary incentives to greener ships in 2012.

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