Cruise ferry is first ship to gain new BV notation

JANUARY 21, 2013 — Bureau Veritas has issued its first  voluntary SEEMP notation to the 1,500-passenger and 500-car cruise ferry Cap Finistère, operated by France’s Brittany Ferries.

“Proactive shipowners like Brittany Ferries are voluntarily investing in eco-friendly technologies and operational practices,” says Martial Claudepierre, Marine Environmental Leader, Bureau Veritas. “Recognizing those efforts and investments in the market place is vital to encouraging more widespread adoption of energy saving and CO2 emission reduction practices.”

“To help transport operators choose the right ship, and to help owners operate effectively, there has to be a clear standard,” says Mr. Claudepierre. “That is why we at Bureau Veritas have developed a voluntary SEEMP Additional Notation. It builds on the IMO Ship Energy Efficiency Management Plan. The SEEMP Additional Notation provides ship users, charterers and regulators with a tool to optimize and also make visible the environmental performance improvement of ships in terms of emissions of GHG and NOx and SOx, and will help owners to assess the potential impact of environmental investments. In this way, it will be possible to make a clearer estimate of the payback period for green investments such as trim and hull optimization, new propeller systems, optimized maintenance periods for hull and propeller cleanings, and general fuel consumption reduction measures.”

Bureau Veritas introduced the SEEMP Notation scheme in July 2012. It covers a wide variety of ship types and is a powerful tool for creating meaningful energy management measures on new or existing ships, as well as helping owners target green investment effectively.

“This notation demonstrates to authorities, Port Sate Control and other stakeholders that the development and implementation of the Ship Efficiency Management Plan complies with the requirements of the IMO Guidelines,” notes Mr. Claudepierre.

Bureau Veritas uses sophisticated software tools to back the notation. “

Realistic goals for energy consumption reduction can be determined or planned using BV’s SEECAT energy transfer simulation model of the energy usage on board the ship,” notes Mr. Claudepierre.

Frederic Pouget, a member of the board of Brittany Ferries, says, “Brittany Ferries has always been proactive on environmental issues. As a leading ferry company we believe that the SEEMP notation will contribute towards saving energy and reducing emissions. For us, the SEEMP notation is a further positive step in our energy management policy and a good way to certify all the efforts we have been making in this regard for a number of years.”