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media advisory
friends of the earth international
bluewater network
clean air task force
stichting noordzee
april 3, 2006
groups call for big cuts in shipping
industry air pollution
LONDON, UK, April 3, 2006 – As shipping
nations meet this week to consider new air
pollution standards for ships, environmental
and public health organizations are calling
for 70 to 90 percent reductions in ship
smokestack emissions to reduce premature
death, cancers and respiratory ailments
suffered by people living and working near
ports.
The groups contend that current regulations,
adopted in 1997, are outdated and completely
inadequate. New regulations, once finalized,
will likely not be effective for several
years.
Responding to pressure from environmental
groups and governments, the International
Maritime Organization (IMO) begins a process
this week to revise international standards
on ship emissions and marine fuel quality,
and to consider regulating harmful
particulate matter produced by ship engines
for the first time. Limits on existing
engines will also be considered.
A delegation of international, EU and US
organizations, formally represented at the
IMO by Friends of the Earth International,
are pressuring the shipping industry to
immediately switch to cleaner fuels, turn off
dirty diesel engines so ships can plug into
shoreside power while docked, and put air
pollution controls on both new and existing
ship engines that will drastically reduce
smog-forming emissions and soot from diesel
ship exhaust.
“Urgent action is needed to protect public
health and the environment from the toxic air
pollutants emitted by ship smokestacks around
the world,” said Teri Shore, Clean Vessels
Campaign Director for Bluewater Network – a
division of Friends of the Earth - US. “We
hope that the IMO will now lead the way to
stronger air standards instead of putting
shipping profits first.”
David Marshall, Senior Counsel for the Clean
Air Task Force, stated, "IMO's new attention
to air pollution standards reflects a
recognition that shipping emissions are
substantial and growing, that individual
governments at various levels are beginning
to take action on their own to reduce air
pollution from ships, and that this pollution
can be reduced substantially by feasible
control techniques currently available.”
According to Eelco Leemans, coordinator of
the Friends of the Earth International
Maritime Campaign, the need for a strong
revision of Annex VI is recognized by many,
not just NGOs. “We feel that the time is ripe
for the maritime industry to come up with
real solutions to counter the impacts of
shipping.”
Ships are estimated to generate almost 30
percent of the world’s smog-forming nitrogen
oxide emissions and nearly ten percent of
sulfur dioxide emissions that cause acid rain
and deadly fine particles. One ship entering
port generates the air pollution of 350,000
cars in one hour. Shipping trade is expected
to triple in the next two decades. People
living near ports experience higher levels of
cancer, asthma and respiratory illness.
Based on current technology and cleaner fuel
supplies, the organizations are urging the
IMO to require:
-
Reductions of 70 to 90 percent for
smog-forming nitrogen oxide emissions
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Reductions of 70 to 80 percent of
sulfur oxide emissions
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Reduced sulfur content in bunker fuels
to 1.5 percent or less at sea; and .5
percent or less in coastal zones and
ports
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International mandatory quality
standards for marine fuel
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International standardization for
electrification of ships and ports so
vessels can turn off engines and plug into
shoreside power when docked
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Prohibition on-board incineration in
coastal waters
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Adopt a Port Community Bill of Rights
to protect public health as ports and
shipping trade expands
The IMO plans to adopt final regulations
by next year.
for more information
contact
Teri Shore, Bluewater Network – a division
of Friends of the Earth US +1- 415 544 0790
ext. 20
David Marshall, Clean Air Task Force, +1-603
428 8114
Eelco Leemans, North Sea Foundation, Friends
of the Earth International - 00 31 646 118
649
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