EU policies boosting air quality in harbours

The levels of air pollution in harbours around Europe have been reduced by a policy limiting the sulphur content in fuels, according to the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC).

Sulphur dioxide emissions from shipping have sharply decreased in Mediterranean harbours since the new policies were introduced in January 2010.
JRC scientists measured a number of key air quality parameters and found that there was an average decrease of 66 per cent in the concentration of sulphur dioxide in the air, a compound that puts people's health and the environment at risk.

Measurements taken in a non-EU port showed that levels of this noxious substance remained the same.

As of January 2010, all ships at berth or at anchor in European harbours use fuels with a sulphur content of less than 0.1 per cent by weight, while previously, outside of Sulphur Emission Control Areas, a sulphur content of up to 4.5 per cent was allowed.

The measures have helped to reduce are pollution and improve air quality for the people working in the ports and also the environment.
Background sulphur dioxide is one of the main chemicals responsible for the formation of acid rain and particulate air pollution, which is a major risk factor for cardiovascular and respiratory diseases.

The research team measured the air with an automated monitoring station on the cruise ship Costa Pacifica, which followed a regular weekly route in the Western Mediterranean throughout 2009 and 2010.

Concentrations of sulphur dioxide were found to have decreased significantly in three out of the four EU harbours in the area, with Civitavecchia, Savona and Palma de Mallorca each recording an improvement in air quality.

No decrease in sulphur dioxide was recorded in the port Tunis, and there was no reduction in any of the other air pollutants that were measured in all four harbours, which indicates that the drop in sulphur dioxide is a direct result of the EU's fuel requirements.

Posted by Joseph Hutton