EMEA News
Port of Gothenburg Hails "Significant Improvement" in Air Quality from Tighter ECA Regs
Sweden's Port of Gothenburg Friday announced that there has been "a significant improvement" in Gothenburg's air quality since the January 1, 2015 tightening of Europe's Emissions Control Area (ECA) rules to put a 0.10 percent sulfur cap on bunkers.
According to data collected by IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute, sulfur emissions in the Gothenburg area declined by more than 70 percent between 2014 and 2015, falling from 330 tonnes in 2014 to 91 tonnes in 2015, while particulate matter emissions declined from 22 tonnes in 2014 to 11 tonnes in 2015, a 50 percent reduction.
"This is very positive, not only for the environment but also for people's health. Sulfur emissions are a major problem globally in shipping and this clearly demonstrates that the Directive has made a genuine difference in our immediate area," said Magnus Kårestedt, Port of Gothenburg's CEO.
"It's unfortunate that our low limits have not been imposed globally. Swedish base industries, which make extensive use of shipping, have found it more difficult to compete on price," added Kårestedt, commenting on the European ECA's competitive implications for ports.
The Port of Gothenburg is said to have employed a number of measures to successfully implement the ECA regulations, including the operation of a pipeline specifically for low sulfur fuel, bunkering solutions for alternative fuels, such as liquefied natural gas (LNG) and methanol, as well as the use of a "sniffer" at the entrance of the port to detect non-compliance.
"Generally we are already well equipped in northern Europe to meet the future – we have a head start on the rest of Europe and the world in this area. This will present advantages when the limits are reduced throughout the rest of Europe in less than four years' time, even if they will not come down to our levels," said Kårestedt.
Last July, the Port of Gothenburg announced that LNG bunkers were available at the port - an alternative fuel noted for having essentially zero sulfur emissions.
