Progressively tighter emission standards for ships on Baltic Sea

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At its meeting last week, the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) approved revised regulations in order to reduce harmful emissions from ships.
     
The main changes would see a progressive reduction in sulphur dioxide (SOx) emissions from ships, with the global sulphur cap to be reduced to 3.5 % from the current 4.5%, effective from the beginning of 2012.
      The next step would be to reduce the cap progressively to 0.5 %, effective from January 1st 2020, subject to a feasibility review to be completed prior to that.
      Previously the IMO had already agreed on reductions in nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from new marine engines. However, the revised regulations will apply to the emissions from old ships as well.
     
NOx and SOx emissions are of significant environmental concern, weakening the quality of air, causing health hazards, and turning soil and waters acidic. Moreover, excess nutrients are one of the factors causing eutrophication in the Baltic Sea, as for example high levels of nitrogen oxides stimulate algal growth.
      The limits applicable in the so-called Sulphur Emission Control Areas (SECAs) would be reduced from the current 1.5% to 1.0% from March 1st 2010, being further reduced to 0.1 %, effective from January 1st 2015.
      Currently, there are two SECAs designated, namely, the Baltic Sea and the North Sea area, which also includes the English Channel.
     
"This is a great decision for the Baltic Sea. It will not be easy for shipping companies, but this is just what we wanted. Our goal is to achieve strict international regulations", said Tero Jokilehto, responsible for safety and environmental affairs at the Finnish Shipowners’ Association (FSA).
      Jokilehto noted further that the decision was historic, quick, and unusually unanimous.
      The low nitrogen content of fuel could easily double the fuel costs of ships, which is also bound to spark an increase in the costs faced by the export industries, among others.
     
The MEPC set progressively tighter nitrogen oxide emission standards for new engines, which means that the NOx emissions from all new ships will have to be reduced by 20 % compared with the present limits, effective from January 1st 2011.
      From the beginning of 2016, the NOx amount that the engines of ships will be allowed to release is 80 % lower than the emissions allowed today. All old vessels built during the 1990s will have to be modified so that their NOx emissions will come down by some 10 to 15 %.
      The IMO meeting also discussed greenhouse gas emissions from ships, but no GHG-related decisions were made as yet. Marine GHG emissions are not included in the Kyoto Protocol nor in the European Union Emission Trade Scheme.


Links:
  EU ETS -European Union Emission Trade Scheme
  International Maritime Organization (IMO)
  The Finnish Shipowners´ Association (FSA)
  Kyoto Protocol (Wikipedia)

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