| Safeguarding
the Seas
Stopping
the pollution of our oceans by ships and fast ferries and preventing
deadly collisions with whales
Radically
cleaner marine fuels debated during Norway ship pollution
talks
 |
| Cruise ships
docking in Oslo, Norway, spew black smoke into the air
every day. They also foul the air in the pristine fjords
that were recently designated World Heritage sites. View
more photos at the Friends
of the Earth Norway website |
Ships transiting the world’s
oceans would abandon dirty bunker fuel and switch to less polluting
types of marine diesel within five to 10 years under separate
proposals made by green groups and oil tanker lobbyists during
a special session of the International Maritime Organization
in Norway,
November 13 to 17, 2006. Making the switch to cleaner fuels
would drastically cut air pollution from ships that causes acid
rain and emits harmful particles that can lodge in people’s
lungs.
Bluewater Network under Friends of the Earth International proposed
a global sulfur cap on marine fuels at 1.5 percent sulfur (compared
to today’s 4.5 percent) and a ceiling of .5 percent sulfur
in Sulfur Emissions Control Areas (SECAs) (now at 1.5 percent)
beginning in 2010.
For the first time, a shipping industry group offered a complementary
proposal. Intertanko, the organization that represents independent
oil tankers, surprised environmentalists as well as shipping
and oil interests by proposing that all ocean-going ships switch
to marine distillate fuels of 1 percent or less sulfur by 2010;
and to .5 percent by 2015. The concept was supported by US,
Norway, Sweden,
and the Netherlands.
Greece
and several oil and shipping organizations balked at the radical
proposal – mainly due to objections over cost. Companies
such as BP and Shell want to be able to keep selling dirty,
cheap residual fuel to shippers – as well as a new line
of on-board scrubbers to clean the exhaust once new standards
take effect.
Ultimately, a sea change in shipping operations is on
the horizon: switching fuels remained one of the leading options
for reducing ship smokestack pollution to be taken up at the
next round of negotiations in April 2007 in London.
Other
marine fuels approaches that were discussed:
- Status
quo (no change)
- Reducing
sulfur levels in SECAs only
- Residual
fuel sulfur caps without a requirement for marine distillate
Bluewater Network is working
with other U.
S. and European green groups
to ensure that cleaner international fuels standard for ships
are adopted. To learn more, see the following:
IMO
Press Release
Friends
of the Earth International proposal
Intertanko
proposal
Read
more about the negotiations |
Ship
Pollution Across the Ocean
Large ocean-going vessels – cargo and container ships, cruise
ships, and oil tankers – are one of the fastest growing, least-regulated
sources of air pollution in the United States. As more consumer
goods are imported from Asia, cargo shipping is expected to double
or even triple by 2020 – especially in high-traffic ports
such as Oakland, Los Angeles and New York/New Jersey. Cruise ship
passenger capacity has doubled in 20 years and continues to expand
rapidly. As marine traffic increases, so does the threat to our
oceans, marine life, and public health.
Click here to learn more.
Read
the Latest News
Check
out Port Watch,
the new blog by Teri Shore, Bluewater Network's Clean Vessels campaign
director.
Friends of
the Earth and EarthJustice may sue the US EPA for failing to meet
the April 27th deadline for regulating ship emissions.
California Senators co-sponsor
bill to slash ship smokestack pollution- cleaner ship fuels and
engines would be required on all ships calling on U.S. Ports.
Victory
for curbing ship emmissions.
Bluewater
Network, along with other Groups, Call for Big Cuts in Shipping
Industry Air Pollution.
Bluewater
Network Urges California to Act Quickly to Reduce Port Emissions.
Bluewater
Network urges IMO to strengthen international air pollution standards
and to set standards for shoreside power for ships:
- Read
the two new papers submitted through Friends of the Earth International
for meetings in March and April 2006: Shoreside
Power and Air Pollution
Ships Required to Use Cleaner
Fuels In California Waters:
Greening
California's Seaports, Living
on Earth, National Public Radio, January 6, 2006
Ship
Emissions: 'We Need to Turn a Corner', fuelsustainability.com,
January 3, 2006
California
Governor Signs Ship Dumping and Trash Burning Ban
Environmental
groups hail IMO's Annex VI revision promise, Bunkerworld,
September 2005
New
calls to control ship exhaust emissions, Numast Telegraph,
September, 2005
Bluewater'
letter urging the ratification of an international treaty on preventing
air pollution from ships
Ship
Air Pollution and Environmental
Justice submissions by Bluewater Network and Friends of the
Earth International to the International Maritime Organization,
July 2005
Protesters
Target Marine Pollution, Lloyd's
List, July 19, 2005
Port
Community Bill of Rights submitted to the International Maritime
Organization
Fact Sheet on why the
U.S. should ratify Annex VI
California Assembly Joint
Resolution 8 calling for Annex VI Ratification co-sponsored
by Bluewater Network
California bill SB 771 would ban ship dumping and on-board incineration.
Read the Press
Release and Fact Sheet.
Comments to the California Air Resources Board on shipping and ports:
1. Shoreside power for ships
2. Harborcraft engines and
fuels
3. Ship auxiliary
engines
4. Ports and goods
movement
EPA
Lawsuit Decision Allows Shipping Pollution to Grow
Shipping
Air Pollution Treaty Sets Global Standards
Bluewater Network provides environmental
perspective at Air and Waste Management Association conference on
marine emissions in Seattle, April 2004. Click
to view powerpoint presentation.
Where
There's Smoke, There's Pollution -- an op-ed by Bluewater Network's
Russell Long in The New York Times
Study
Shows Greater Ship Emissions (November 12, 2003)
Conservationists
Sue EPA Again Seeking Real Regulation of Air Pollution Spewed by
Sea-Going Vessels
Bush
Administration Backslides on Final Regulation for Sea-Going Vessel
Air Pollution
Bush
Administration issues "toothless" regulations for sea
going vessels
Shipping
Air Pollution Fact Sheet
Petition
to the International Maritime Organization:
letter signed by 29 groups urging the agency to begin regulating
greenhouse gas emissions from ships
A
Stacked Deck: report detailing the tremendous air pollution
pumped out of the big ships
Read Bluewater Network's comments
to the EPA on the ship emissions rulemaking.
back
to top
Read
our Growing List of Victories:
2005
Bluewater Network’s advocacy was key to the passage of the
new regulation that directs ships to switch to cleaner fuels once
within 24 nautical miles of the coast. We gained support from the
California Senate, San Francisco Board of Supervisors, Port of San
Francisco and a coalition of environmental and public health organizations.
Provided an environmental perspective for cleaning up ship smokestack
pollution at an international marine fuels industry conference called
Bunkerworld in San Francisco in October 2005 as a panelist and featured
speaker.
Exposed the International Maritime Organization’s poor environmental
record and shipping industry bias during a protest at its headquarters
in London. Helped convince shipping nations to consider stronger
air pollution standards. Collaborated with environmental justice
activists to urge shipping nations adopt a Port Community Bill of
Rights.
Partnered with the Port of San Francisco to achieve US EPA funding
of clean fuels incentive program and in developing an environmental
recognition plan for cruise lines calling on San Francisco Bay.
Co-sponsored with the shipping industry a California state resolution
to ratify the international shipping pollution treaty, Annex VI
of MARPOL.
Port of Seattle installs shoreside power for cruise ships at Pier
30 in an effort to reduce air pollution and comply with air quality
mandates.
2004
Advocated for stronger air and global warming standards for ships
at the IMO Marine Environment Protection Committee meeting in London.
Second lawsuit
against US EPA results in a new rulemaking process for large ship
emissions slated for 2007.
Published editorial
in The New York Times that revealed that a single ship
entering harbor produces emissions equal to 350,000 cars in one
hour.
2003
US EPA issues first-ever air emission regulations for ocean-going
vessels. However, the rules provide little protection as foreign
fleets which comprise the bulk of port traffic are excluded. Bluewater
Network files second lawsuit against the agency to include the foreign
fleet and require best available technology.
Exposed the Port
of Seattle’s failure to implement a clean fuels standard that
was a requirement for operating a new cruise terminal, forcing the
port to expedite implementation of equivalent air quality measures
before the new cruise season.
2002
Bluewater Network mobilized clean air activists to testify at EPA’s
public hearing on proposed new air pollution standards for big ships.
We also submitted extensive comments on the weak rules that generated
numerous sign-on from allied groups. Major media outlets covered
the story about the “sham regulations.”
2001
Through legal
action, Bluewater Network forces the Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) to initiate new regulations to initiate new regulations to
reduce the tremendous levels of smog, airborne particles, and toxics
emitted by container ships, oil tankers, and cruise ships.
Bluewater Network
organizes an international shipping emissions conference in San
Francisco in collaboration with industry and regulators.
back
to top
Get
Answers to Some Frequently Asked Questions:
What can
be done to reduce shipping pollution?
back
to top
Visit
These Related Websites:
West
Coast Diesel Emissions Reduction Collaborative: The West Coast
Collaborative is a public-private partnership working to reduce
diesel emissions along the West Coast.
International
Maritime Organization: the
United Nation's specialized agency responsible for maritime safety
and preventing pollution from ships
California
Air Resources Board Commercial Marine Vessels: Contains many
presentations about ship pollution rulemaking, emissions, fuels
and shoreside power made at working group meetings.
2001
Conference on Marine Vessels and Air Quality: Presentations:
information from the conference sponsored by the Environmental Protection
Agency
California
Ballast Water Regulations: information on regulations recently
enacted to regulate ballast water
Shipboard
Pollution Control: report published by the US Navy on reducing
solid waste from ships
|
