OPINION: It's Time to Solve Port Pollution

Dr. Andreas Bodén, CTO, PowerCell Group. Image Credit: PowerCell Group

The marine industry's energy transition is not all about greenhouse gas emissions like carbon dioxide, it is equally vital that the sector eliminates local emissions of sulphur oxides, nitrogen oxides and particulate matter which can harm the health of those who live or work near ports, says Dr. Andreas Bodén, CTO, PowerCell Group.

The majority of ships remain powered by their diesel-fuelled auxiliary engines when berthed in a port. For decades, these engines have provided reliable energy at a relatively low cost. However, they emit significant amounts of local air pollution, including nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulphur oxides (SOx), and particulate matter (PM), often near highly populated areas.

Local emissions in ports is not a new issue, but efforts by regulators to solve the problem have ramped up recently. The California Air Resources Board (CARB), for example, has added more vessel types and terminals to its Emission Control Requirements. These new rules are designed to improve air quality for the approximately 18.5 million people living in the Greater Los Angeles Area – home to the big and busy ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.

While the CARB initially introduced its Emission Control Requirements on January 1st, 2023, for visits to all regulated terminals by container, reefer and cruise ships, this has now been expanded to Roll-on-roll-off vessels starting on January 1st, 2025. Tankers visiting specific terminals at the Port of Lost Angeles or the Port of Long Beach must also comply from January 01st 2025, and this will be expanded to all regulated terminals on January 1st, 2027.

California is not an outlier either. The European Union's FuelEU Maritime regulations also include a clause to tackle local emissions in ports. To tackle these emissions and remain compliant with FuelEU Maritime, as of 2030, container and passenger ships greater than or equal to 5,000 gross tonnes must use an onshore power supply (OPS) for all electricity needs while moored in major EU ports.

As well as regulations driving the elimination of SOx, NOx and PM emissions, there is a clear social and environmental obligation to do so. To name just a few harmful impacts, SOx and NOx contribute to the acidification of rain, add to smog in the air, and can harm human respiratory function.

Cold ironing, that is, plugging into an onshore power connection, is the obvious solution. However, unfortunately, it's not that simple. Grid power connections in ports are limited, and when multiple ships are trying to connect to shore power at the same time it can easily require more power than the grid can provide right now.

Upgrading the grid power infrastructure in ports is not a realistic option either. Expanding grid capacity and subscriptions for grid power can take a long time, be costly, and require coordination from various competing stakeholders with differing incentives. Plus, expanding grid connections only really 'exports' emissions elsewhere as the grid is largely still based on fossil fuels.

It's not all doom and gloom, however, as there are plenty of technologies that can eliminate local emissions today. The use of alternative fuels such as methanol and LNG can reduce local emissions from a ship's primary engine, but the auxiliaries and any diesel generator sets onboard remain a challenge.

This is an area where fuel cells can help in several ways. Containerised fuel cells, for example, can provide an independent 'off-grid' clean energy source. These can either be specifically used for onshore power connections or used to replace diesel generator sets more broadly in ports, which has been shown in a project in the Port of Gothenburg.

This is just one of several applications for fuel cells in ports. They can also be used directly onboard the ship to power the auxiliary engines. This not only eliminates emissions when berthed but also when manoeuvring in port using auxiliary engines. Fuel cells are also ideal for smaller vessels with fixed routes that operate in ports, such as tugs and towboats. Finally, fuel cells are even being used to power direct air capture barges in some ports, which hover a crane over the exhaust stack of the vessel to eliminate emissions. This versatility of fuel cells also allows for the vital alignment of port energy infrastructure on land and on the water.

The bottom line is, it's time the marine industry solved its shore power shortcomings and tackled the issue of harmful local emissions head on. There are encouraging signs of regulators recognising the importance of this issue, and there are plenty of technologies that can help today, but there are still far too many people suffering from poor air quality in and around ports worldwide.