MEPC 82: South Korea wants to remove water from BDNs to improve CII rating accuracy

In its proposal to the 82nd meeting of the IMO’s Marine Environmental Protection Committee (MEPC 82), the country has sought the removal of water from the bunker delivery notes (BDNs) used to determine a vessel's CII rating.

PHOTO: Port of Busan in South Korea. Getty Images

South Korea says that though the water content does not impact a vessel’s CO2 emissions, it is included in BDNs to calculate the ship's overall fuel oil consumption. This can adversely impact the overall Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) calculation and result in a higher rating. 

The country’s proposal states that water content should be subtracted from fuel oil consumption calculation to improve the CII rating.

As per the ISO 8217 2017 fuel standard, the maximum water content by volume has been set at 0.5% for marine residual fuels. Including this water content data in the BDNs can elevate fuel consumption figures and downgrade CII ratings, South Korea says. 

BDNs help to determine a vessel’s annual fuel consumption and are submitted to the IMO Data Collection System (DCS).

The CII rating, which assesses a vessel’s carbon emission intensity over a period of time, is scored in the range A–E, with A indicative of good performance.

South Korea’s proposal will be discussed at the IMO’s MEPC 82, which will convene in London between 30 September and 4 October.

By Manjula Nair

Please get in touch with comments or additional info to news@engine.online