Expanding Eco-Friendly Ship Certification to Include Equipment... Accelerating the Eco-Friendly Transformation of Ships and Greenhouse Gas Reduction

- Expanding the eco-friendly certification system, which was previously limited to ships, to equipment.

- Using the official certification mark to promote certified vessels and equipment.

 The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF; Minister Kang Do-hyung) announced that it will implement the completely revised “Operation Guidelines for the Certification System for Environment-Friendly Ships and Equipment” (MOF Notice) with the newly established certification standards for environment-friendly ship equipment starting Thursday, February 20.

 MOF enacted this notice in December 2020 to promote eco-friendly ships. Through the notice, a total of 102 ships were granted Eco-Friendly Ship certification grades (Grades 1 to 5) by 2024, and various benefits such as support for construction costs were provided to ships that received Eco-Friendly Ship certification.

 MOF established detailed certification standards for eco-friendly equipment* this year—expanding the scope of certification from ships to equipment—to lay a foundation for gradually transitioning existing ships to become eco-friendlier.

 * Eco-friendly equipment: Equipment incorporating technologies for marine and atmospheric environmental protection, such as onboard carbon capture systems (OCCS) and waste heat recovery systems

 The revised notice also includes improvements such as ▲permitting the use of a nationally recognized certification mark on certified ships and equipment and ▲awarding the highest score in certification evaluations to electric propulsion ships that do not emit air pollutants like nitrogen oxides. These changes aim to increase the incentive for the industry to participate and enhance the system’s effectiveness.

 “The eco-friendly ship certification system is a pioneering initiative implemented by Korea to support domestic shipping companies in decarbonization efforts. We expect this revision to spur the active development of outstanding technologies in the eco-friendly equipment sector and promote the widespread adoption of such equipment,” Minister Kang Do-hyung said.