15 September 2023 (Lloyd's List) - TURKISH liner Arkas plans to renew some of its fleet to better comply with the International Maritime Organization’s Carbon Intensity Indicator that entered into force at the beginning of 2023.
“We want to renew our fleet as part of our sustainability and lower emission targets. Our aim is to initially renew vessels in our existing fleet, which have a lower CII rating, with ships that can run on alternative fuels,” said Arkas head of sustainability Serra Tukel.
Arkas owns a fleet of 54 vessels comprising of 47 boxships, six oil barges and a single bulk carrier.
The Izmir-based company acknowledges there might be a lag in dual-fuel optionality in Türkiye, in the expectance alternative fuel bunkering to be available in the next two to three years at the very earliest, according to Tukel.
Arkas aims to set a net zero target in 2024 including Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions, while it already has taken several measures to comply with IMO’s rules such as CII and the Energy Efficiency Existing Ship Index. Some of these include main engine limitation, maximum summer draft and anti-fouling paint as well as just in time arrival.
The IMO’s CII and EEXI measures came into force on January 1, 2023, applying to all cargo and cruise vessels at and above 5,000 gt. Starting from March 2024, vessels will receive ratings from A to E, with the latter representing the least efficient ships.
Arkas has already reduced Scope 1 emissions by 21% in 2022, compared with a 2011 baseline, according to calculations based on the Smart Freight Centre’s Glec methodology.
It is closely following new environmental regulations in the European Union to maintain its cargo handling in the coming years. The company expects cargo owners in the region to start removing liners that have lower CII ratings in the next couple of years, Tukel said.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has reduced cargo handling at Arkas, as the company ceased Ukrainian port calls and is only calling a single Russian port with limited capacity because of various risks in the Black Sea.
“We have started a thorough compliance processes as part of our risk department, as sanctions by the European countries and the US get updated often,” said Tukel.
