Inventory of Ship Emissions in China Proposed

Port and vessel emissions are said to account for 50% of pollution in Hong Kong

Chinese officials and non government organisations are calling for an inventory of ship and port emissions at all major port cities, China Daily reports.

Pollutants generated by ships and ports contributed more than 50 percent of the airborne pollution in the Hong Kong area, according to Ding Yan, deputy head of the Environmental Protection Ministry's vehicle emissions control centre

"The proportion for some major port cities on the mainland, as some research has shown, can reach as high as 20 to 30 percent," he said.

The National Resources Defence Council (NRDC) has released a white paper on prevention and control of shipping-related air emissions, which says small particulate matter (PM2.5) emitted by a medium-sized container ship is equal to the emissions of 500,000 diesel-powered cars.

"China is home to seven of the 10 busiest container ports in the world," said NRDC Senior Attorney David Pettit.

"The country's major port cities are also some of the most densely populated cities in the world, posing an even higher risk to public health."

Pettit and Ding both said the Chinese government should set up a detailed emissions inventory for all major port cities, although doing so will require funding and technology.

With many ships that travel from China to the U.S. West Coast now switching to low-sulfur fuel in North American Emissions Control Area (ECA), Ding said many vessels are now refuelling in Singapore or Japan because low-sulfur diesel is not available in China.

He said most Chinese fuel producers have the technical ability to produce low-sulfur fuel but do not have an incentive to do so because they set their own standards.

However, an employee at major oil producer Sinopec Gropu said fuel standards are set through negotiations with vehicle users and producers, not decided unilaterally by producers.

Energy consultancy TRI-ZEN recently reported that the growth of Emissions Control Areas (ECAs) in Asia is likely, citing anti-pollution efforts in Hong Kong and around the Yangtze River.