Air pollution from ships (/what-we-do/shipping/air-

pollution-ships)

Air pollution from ships

This page provides background information on the health and

environmental impacts of air pollution from ships. It also highlights the
measures that can be taken to significantly reduce SOx, NOx and fine
particle emissions from ships with recommendations for EU action.

How much air pollution does shipping cause in

Europe?
In 2000, in the seas surrounding Europe (the Baltic Sea, the North Sea, the North-
Eastern part of the Atlantic, the Mediterranean and the Black Sea), sulphur dioxide
(SO2) emissions from international shipping were estimated at 2.3 million tonnes a
year, nitrogen dioxide (NOx) ones at 3.3 million tonnes, and particulate matter (PM) at
250,000 tonnes. In a business as usual scenario, these emissions are expected to grow
by 40 to 50% by 2020.
How much and how fast can pollution from ships be
cut?
Technical measures to cut air pollution from ships by 80 to 90% are easily
implementable. The benefits would considerably outweigh the costs involved. These
include the adoption of cleaner fuels, adding 'scrubbers' or other exhaust gas cleaning
devices to ships and wider use of alternative sources of energy, including wind power
and port-side electricity.

Why is it important to pay more attention to ship

emissions?
Air pollution emissions from ships are continuously growing, while land-based
emissions are gradually coming down. If things are left as they are, by 2020 shipping
will be the biggest single emitter of air pollution in Europe, even surpassing the
emissions from all land-based sources together.

How do SO2, NOx and particle emissions pose a threat

to human health?
Air pollution from international shipping accounts approximately for 50,000
premature deaths per year in Europe, at an annual cost to society of more than 58
billion according to recent scientific studies. Through chemical reactions in the air,
SO2 and NOx is converted into fine particles, sulphate and nitrate aerosols. In
addition to the particles directly emitted by ships such as black carbon, these
secondary particles increase the health impacts of shipping pollution. Tiny airborne
particles are linked to premature deaths. The particles get into the lungs and are small
enough to pass through tissues and enter the blood. They can then trigger
inflammations which eventually cause heart and lung failures. Ship emissions may also
contain carcinogenic particles.

Implementing the sulphur standards for shipping fuels that the International Maritime
Organization (IMO) adopted in 2008 is expected to save 26,000 lives a year in the EU
as from 2020.
How much would reducing air pollution from ships
cost?
The costs for reducing pollutant emissions from shipping are estimated within a range
between 0.5 and 4 euros per kg of SO2 and from 0.01 to 0.6 per kg of NOx. Reducing
emissions from the same pollutants from land-based sources would cost more, as
there have already been substantial reductions in this respect in the last thirty years.

In any case, reducing air pollution from ships is a very cost effective solution. Up to 34
billion Euros could be saved in health costs each year if the IMO fuel standards were
transposed into the EU legislation. These savings do not take into consideration the
benefits for ecosystems and the environment as a whole if acidification and other
negative consequences of air pollution were reduced.

What are the new sulphur standards agreed at the IMO

level and in the EU?
In 2008, the UN International Maritime Organization (IMO) revised its standards on
the sulphur content of marine fuels (contained in MARPOL Annex VI). In October
2012, the standards were officially transposed in Europe. Under the current EU
regulations:

1. From 2015, ship sailing in the Sulphur Emission Control Areas (SECAs) cannot use
fuel with more than 0,1% of sulphur. European SECAs currently include the Baltic
Sea, the North Sea and the English Channel;
2. Globally, ships have to cut their fuel's sulphur content to a maximum of 3.5% in
2012 and to 0.5% in 2020. While the latter limit is subject to review at the IMO, the
EU decided to firmly stick to the implementation date of 2020;
3. In Europe only, passenger ships sailing outside SECA will have to respect a limit of
1,5% sulphur fuels, which was set in 2005.
4. Different compliance methods are offered to shipowners. Instead of using marine
diesel, shipping operators can choose to switch to LNG-fuelled ships or to cut their
sulphur emissions by fitting engines with scrubbers or other exhaust gas cleaning
technologies.
What standards are in place to reduce NOx emissions
from ships?
The IMO MARPOL Annex VI has also strengthened the standards relating to NOx
emissions, with NOx emissions to be cut by 16-22% as from 2011 compared to 2000
levels, and by 80% in 2016.

However, while the sulphur limit values apply to the entire fleet, the NOx emission
limits only applies to new ships and the strictest limit (Tier III to be applied in 2016)
only applies to new ships sailing in designated areas, the NOx Emission Control Areas
(NECAs). The Helsinki Commission grouping the nine countries with Baltic
coastlines and the EU have agreed (http://helcom.fi/news/Pages/HELCOM-agrees-
on-a-Roadmap-for-a-Baltic-Sea-NECA-.aspx) to apply to the IMO for stricter NOx
emissions limits to apply in the Baltic. The application is expected to be considered by
the IMOs marine environment protection committee (MEPC 70) in October 2016
along with a parallel application for an ECA in the North Sea and English Channel.

Shipping in the Baltic Sea causes more than 13,000 tonnes of airborne nitrogen to be
deposited each year, worsening the existing problem of eutrophication.

Moves to have NOx included in the Baltic ECA were first discussed in 2007, but a
series of environmental and economic studies to justify the NOx limits have taken
several years to complete and in 2014 Russia failed to join its Helcom partners in
agreeing to go forward with an application to the IMO. This coincided with Russian
moves to delay the Tier III implementation dates for all NECAs which resulted in the
fixed date in MARPOL for new ECAs to apply to North America only. As a
consequence, under the forthcoming Baltic and North Sea applications, Tier III NOx
requirements for new ship engines would apply only from 2021.

The only way to effectively tackle NOx emissions in Europe will be to adopt a
regulation that would also address the existing fleet, which is responsible for the bulk
of emissions. A levy on nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions with revenues earmarked to
fund the uptake of NOx abatement measures is the most promising tool to reduce
these ship emissions by up to 70%. .In addition to a NOx levy with a fund, mandatory
slow steaming of ships (with a levy and fund as an alternative compliance option) and
a stand-alone levy on emitted NOx could also deliver emission reductions. Read our
briefing here
(https://www.transportenvironment.org/sites/te/files/publications/2016_06_Briefing_NOx_contro
What technological improvements will the industry
have to put in place to cut air pollution from
international shipping?
The industry has at its disposal a wide range of options and techniques to cut
pollution, most of which are already available on a large scale and easily
implementable. These include:

Using low sulphur fuels: it's the easiest way of reducing pollutants from ships.
Shipping fuels currently have almost 3.000 times the sulphur content of fuels
used in road transport in Europe. Also, low sulphur fuels make the ship's engine
run smoother and with less operating problems and maintenance costs. Last, but
not least, using low sulphur fuel reduces other pollutant emissions.
Scrubbers: a possible alternative to low sulphur fuels, they would cut emissions of
SO2 by 99% and considerably reduce emissions of other polluting particles, but
there are still some concerns about the by-products they produce in the cleaning
process.
Internal engine modifications - such as water injection and exhaust gas
recirculation: these are techniques to prevent NOx production during the
combustion process, and can abate NOx emissions by 30 to 50%.
Humid air motor: by adding water vapour to the combustion air, NOx emissions
could be cut by 70 to 85%.
 Selective catalytic reduction (SCR): a system to treat exhaust gases after their
production but before they are actually emitted. SCR can cut NOx by up to 95%.
It's already used in some 500 ships worldwide and works better with low sulphur
fuels.
Gas engines: Ship engines can work with liquified natural gas (LNG) which doesn't
contain sulphur and therefore has SO2 emissions close to zero. Gas engines also
dramatically reduce other PM emissions. Although it's easier to fit new ships with
such engines, conversions have already taken place.
Shore-side electricity: can be used while ships are at the port and could cut SO2,
NOx and other PM emissions by up to 90%.
Alternative energy sources: Experiments with wind and solar power, biofuels and
fuel cells are ongoing and could be useful in the future.

What should the EU and Member States do to reduce

air pollution from ships?
Transport & Environment has formulated a series of recommendations for the EU and
its member states. These include:

Transposing the international standards for NOx emissions into EU law and
adopt regulation in Europe to address the NOx emissions of the existing fleet.
Extending the SOx Emission Control Areas in the EU (e.g. in the Mediterranean,
in the Black Sea, in the Irish Sea and the North East Atlantic) and designate NOx
Emission Control Areas as soon as possible.
Monitoring that proper enforcement procedures are adopted in Europe in order
to ensure compliance with the standards.
Adopting market-based measures to make polluters pay a fair price for the
emissions the shipping sector is responsible for.

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