EU Steams on with Plan to Cut Ships' Air Pollution
Date: 29-Jun-04
Country: LUXEMBOURG
The proposal, which must be approved by the European Parliament before being formally endorsed by environment ministers, would force ships to slash emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO2) by using fuel with lower sulfur content.
Ship emissions are blamed for contributing to acid rain, smog, and air pollution.
"The Environment Council has agreed to reduce ships' SO2 emissions in the EU by over 500,000 tons every year from 2007, to the benefit of human health and the environment," the European Commission said in a statement.
A Commission spokeswoman said operating costs for ship owners would increase three percent overall, including the more expensive oil.
"If you use lower-sulfur petrol, you have to readjust your engines," she said, adding that the cost of such adjustments would depend on the age and condition of the ship.
Marine fuel has a maximum sulfur content of five percent or 50,000 parts per million (ppm), the Commission said, compared to a far lower level in petrol for cars, which will be at 10 ppm from 2007.
Aimed at lowering sulfur levels in marine fuel used in the EU, the proposal stipulates a 1.5 percent sulfur limit for all sea-going vessels in the North Sea, the Channel and the Baltic - areas where SO2 contributes to acid rain which damages forests and lakes in the Nordic region.
The same limit would apply to passenger ships traveling between ports within the EU from May 2006.
The deadline for the Baltic is also 2006, while the deadline for the North Sea and the Channel is later in 2007, officials said.
The ministers agreed a stricter 0.1 percent sulfur limit to be imposed on ships while at berth in EU ports from January 2010 in order to reduce SO2 and harmful particles in populated areas where the emissions can contribute to serious respiratory illness.
The proposals were seen helping people who suffer from asthma, bronchitis and heart disease.
