Asia/Pacific News
Christine Loh: Increasing Interest from China on Air Quality Gives PRD ECA a Good Chance of Success
A potential low-sulfur zone to be established in the Pearl River Delta (PRD) has a high chance of success, according to Hong Kong's under-secretary for the environment Christine Loh, Container Management reports.
According to Loh, China's government has taken heavy interest in improving the country's air quality, though she admits that the plans could take some years to come to fruition.
"You [in California and Europe] are the ones with the Emission Control Areas (ECAs) and the Sulfur Emission Control Areas (SECAs)," Loh said.
"We want that too."
The PRD area, which includes the ports of Hong Kong, Guangzhou and Shenzen, reportedly accounts for 12 percent of all goods shipped worldwide.
"Our longer-term aim, hopefully in a few years, is to make the whole PRD area an ECA," she said.
Later this year, new sulfur regulations in Hong Kong are set to begin limiting sulfur content in marine fuel for berthed ocean-going vessels (OGV) to 0.5 percent.
