Liberian Registry offers green retrofit incentive

The project, designed in partnership with US-based consultancy EfficientShip Finance (ESF), aims to reduce carbon emissions, enhance fleet efficiency and promote a greener Liberian fleet. Each ship in the programme will be entitled to a 50% discount on tonnage tax in the first year and up to 25% discount in the second and third years.

“Our aim is to ensure that Liberia remains the greenest fleet afloat,” said Scott Bergeron, chief executive officer of the US-based registry manager Liberian International Ship & Corporate Registry. “The Liberian administration welcomes any new technology and ship designs which improve operational efficiency and lower ship emissions to the atmosphere, including greenhouse gases.”

The registry said the project offers “a turnkey energy-saving solution for ships on a global basis with an add-on specifically crafted for ECAs”. ESF will provide the financial capital needed for each project, and assume responsibility for technology performance and fuel volatility risk, along with the technical supervision and monitoring to perform retrofits.

Owners and operators will remit a proportion of the amount they save on fuel costs, or which they receive in the form of additional negotiated hire, to ESF. The retrofit projects require no upfront capital by owners.

The programme includes retrofits for vessels customized based on trading patterns, age, size, speed, and consumption. The technologies used include wake-improving ducts, rudder bulbs and fins, protracted tip propellers, engine improvements, smooth coatings, and performance and trim optimising software.

For ships trading within ECA zones, the programme may include the installation of exhaust scrubber systems or the conversion of engines to LNG dual-fuel, to comply with emissions requirements effective from 1 January.