Americas News
ARB Extends Submission Deadline for 2017 At-Berth Emissions Reduction Plans
The California Air Resources Board (ARB) Friday announced that the deadline to submit vessel and terminal plans to meet the 2017 at-berth emissions reduction requirement has been extended from July 1, 2016 to October 1, 2016.
Since January 1, 2104 the state's Airborne Toxic Control Measure for Auxiliary Diesel Engines Operated on Ocean-Going Vessels in a California Port (At-Berth Regulation) has required vessels to use shore power reduce emissions by 50 percent while at berth at a California port, and from January 1, 2017 that will increase to a reduction in emissions of 70 percent.
Under the At-Berth Regulation, vessel operators are required to submit a plan to ARB that details how they will achieve the 2017 requirement, and can choose to use either grid-based shore power or an equivalent emission reduction method.
Terminal operators are also required to provide updated plans to ARB, detailing how the terminal will provide the necessary infrastructure for fleets affected by the regulation.
Ship & Bunker understands that ARB is planning to release an advisory on the matter within the coming weeks, and as such the delay was needed to take this into account.
The January 1, 2017 start date remains unchanged.
The regulation is noted to affect operators of container and refrigerated cargo ship fleets that make a total of 25 or more visits each year to the Port of Hueneme, the Port of Los Angeles, the Port of Long Beach, the Port of Oakland, the Port of San Diego, or the Port of San Francisco.
The regulation also affects operators of passenger ship fleets that make a total of five or more visits each year to one or more of the ports listed above.
Last October ARB approved the use of an Advanced Environmental Group, LLC (AEG) exhaust gas scrubber as an alternative to shore power for compliance with the regulation.
