From January 2027 the Environmental Port Index and the International Association of Ports and Harbours' Environmental Ship Index will operate as complementary modules under the IAPH umbrella, following an agreement signed between the Environmental Port Index and OceanScore, the administrator of the ESI, sources indicated on 18 September 2026.

The arrangement, as described by the report, will see the two indices run alongside one another with the stated aim of giving ports and shipowners a more coherent way to measure and reward cleaner shipping. OceanScore is identified in the report as the administrator of the Environmental Ship Index and a signatory to the agreement with the Environmental Port Index.

Key factual points from the announcement include:

  • Parties: Environmental Port Index and OceanScore (administrator of ESI).
  • Framework: operation under the International Association of Ports and Harbours umbrella.
  • Effective date: January 2027, according to the published report.

What the change means

The report frames the move as an alignment of two established measurement tools so they can be used together under IAPH. Combining a port-focused index with a ship-focused index is presented as a way to present a more coherent picture of environmental performance across the two sides of the interface between shore and vessel.

That coherence is described in the report as allowing ports and shipowners to measure and reward cleaner shipping in a more unified fashion. The announcement therefore positions the arrangement as an administrative and practical consolidation intended to streamline how environmental performance is tracked and acknowledged between ports and ships.

Timing and administrative detail

The only date specified in the published item is that the combined operation will commence in January 2027 and that the reporting outlet published the account on 18 September 2026. The agreement itself is said to have been signed between the Environmental Port Index and OceanScore, which the report identifies as administrator of the Environmental Ship Index.

The publicly reported arrangement places both indices under the IAPH umbrella; the report does not elaborate further on governance mechanics, data exchange protocols or any transitional arrangements beyond the start date.

Public authorities, port administrations and ship operators will likely watch how the modules are presented and how any alignment affects scoring and incentive structures, but those outcomes are not described in the report. The announcement confines itself to the institutional realignment and the stated objective of offering a coherent way to measure and reward environmental performance at sea and alongside the shore.

The Maritime Gazette will follow any subsequent releases from the Environmental Port Index, OceanScore and IAPH for fuller technical detail on how the two indices will interact in practice and any guidance that may be issued to ports and shipowners ahead of the January 2027 start date. For now, the published report provides the primary factual account of the agreement and its intended purpose.