International study: Ocean vessels becoming major greenhouse gas sources

International study: Ocean vessels becoming major greenhouse gas sources The same day a study verified that the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles are rapidly growing components of the U.S. economy, an international study warned that oceangoing vessels servicing the ports are becoming major contributors to global warming, producing more sulfur dioxide than all the world’s cars, trucks and buses combined.
   In their 100-page report, Air Pollution and Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Oceangoing Ships: Impacts, Mitigation Options and Opportunities for Managing Growth, the International Council on Clean Transport called for the immediate tightening of emission standards for international shipping.
   Over the past three decades, ocean vessel traffic has risen 5 percent per year, the study found. With only moderate controls emplaced during this time, vessel emissions have resulted in a commiserate contribution by the sector in local and global air pollution.
   'International ships are one of the world’s largest, virtually uncontrolled sources of air pollution,' ICCT President Alan Lloyd told the Standard. 'Air pollution from diesel trucks and buses in Europe, Japan and the United States has declined steadily for over a decade. At the same time, air pollution from international ships is rising virtually unchecked.'
   One of the largest areas of concern, the study found, is the high-sulfur content of marine fuel. Average international bunker fuel is two to three times higher in sulfur than the fuel used by landside vehicles.
   Most troubling for the ports and those that live, work or play in and around them, is the study's finding that air-quality effects from oceangoing vessels were especially significant in port cities with extensive coastlines next to shipping routes. Using data on geographic marine activity, estimates have roughly 70 percent to 80 percent of all ship emissions occurring within 400 kilometers of land.
   Carbon-dioxide emissions from the international shipping sector as a whole, the study found, exceed annual total greenhouse gas emissions from most of the developed nations listed in the Kyoto Protocol.
   The study called for lower sulfur fuels, optimized engines and exhaust after-treatment programs to improve the performance of marine vessels. Emissions from ships in port can be further cut by using shore-side electricity sources, the study said. Californian and European regulations now require low-sulfur fuels in coastal waters, inland waterways and at ports.
   U.S. West Coast ports have come under increasing community and government pressure to reduce pollution from maritime activities. Several have begun using lease agreements with terminal customers to set higher environmental standards for terminal operations.