The Environmental Ship Index (ESI) – the established global standard for ports to incentivise the improvement of shipping’s environmental performance – entered a new era earlier this year, with the confirmation of an expanded suite of performance modules to support ports and vessel owners on the journey to decarbonisation and lowering emissions. Coming online in 2026, ESI’s revised and expanded offering will take into account a range of potential emissions, introduce a new GHG methodology, and reward innovation and application of zero-emissions techniques onboard vessels. In 2026, the main ESI score for air emission will transfer to ‘ESI Core’ and accordingly all Incentive Providers (IPs) are advised to look at adjusting their incentives accordingly, as the scores may vary significantly. Accordingly, ESI’s administrator Green Award Foundation has created a useful tool to assist IPs during the transition period. The Score Simulator for ESI Core can enhance an IP’s understanding of how a ship’s score might change in 2026, when ESI Core goes online, as well as how to suitably modify the incentives the IP makes available. IPs can access the Score Simulator when logging into their ESI IP account by going to the Info tab on the ESI site, where a new tab has been added named ‘ESI Core Simulator’. On this tab, users will find a link to the simulator, as well as more information on how to use it, in the form of a manual and case study.
