Helcom : HELCOM calls for tighter IMO regulations to prevent predicted increase in air pollution from ships

10.01.2008

Press release

HELCOM calls for tighter IMO regulations to prevent predicted increase in air pollution from ships

Helsinki, 10 January (HELCOM Information Service) – Tighter international regulations are needed to prevent a predicted sharp increase in nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from ships in the Baltic Sea, says a joint document which has recently been submitted by the HELCOM countries to the upcoming 57th session of the IMO Marine Environment Protection Committee in March. This session is expected to approve new requirements for NOx and SOx emissions under Annex VI of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL 73/78).

“The call for stricter IMO requirements is part of the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan to drastically reduce pollution to the sea and restore its good ecological status by 2021,” said Anne Christine Brusendorff, HELCOM’s Executive Secretary. “This submission is based on a study prepared for HELCOM by the research programme ShipNODeff. It provides the first most precise estimate of the atmospheric emissions from shipping in the Baltic Sea, as well as includes a set of scenarios estimating how much NOx emission from ships in the Baltic would be reduced if different proposed IMO emission control measures were adopted.”

Several scenarios were calculated until the year 2030. The study reveals that with the projected annual 5,2% growth of maritime traffic in the Baltic Sea the proposed set of subsequent IMO measures – 19% reduction of emissions from diesel engines to be implemented after 2011, and 50% after 2015 - would not change the situation and even lead to further increase of emissions in the region. Only the most challenging requirement - 80% reduction of emissions from marine diesel engines installed on ships on or after 1 January 2015 - would reverse the increasing trend of NOx emissions by 2030.

Atmospheric nitrogen deposition is one of the main contributors to the high nutrient concentrations that stimulate massive algae blooms in the Baltic. The most recent calculations identify shipping as the largest contributor to atmospheric nitrogen oxide deposition to the Baltic Sea with a share of 16%. However, the present study shows the contribution to reach up to 50% in some areas and seasons. The total annual NOx emission from ships is estimated at more than 370 kilotons. The estimate is based on information from the HELCOM Automatic Identification System for monitoring ship traffic in the Baltic Sea and is verified against information on fuel consumption obtained from shipping companies and measurements of air quality near fairways.

The NOx emissions from shipping in Finnish waters alone are higher than emissions from Finnish land-based traffic. On the Baltic Sea scale, the emissions from shipping estimated in this report are comparable to the combined land-based NOx emissions from Denmark and Sweden. Most of this emission is concentrated on the southern part of the Baltic Sea, around the Danish straits and the Kiel Canal where shipping is intense, but significant emissions can also be seen throughout the Gulf of Finland.

The Baltic Sea today is one of the busiest seas in the world, accounting for 15% of the world’s cargo. Both the number of ships and the quantities of cargo afloat on the Baltic are growing rapidly. The total number of vessels sailing in the Baltic is 3,500-5,000 each month, depending on the season. The two vessel classes that produce significant amount of NOx when compared to the number of ships they represent are passenger ships (20.5 % of the total annual emission) and Ro-Ro cargo ships (16.5 %). Vessels constructed after 1990 produce almost 60% of the total emissions.

Follow-up: Joint submission of the HELCOM countries to 57th session of the IMO Marine Environment Protection Committee

Final_draft_of_submission_to_IMO_re_NOx_emiss.pdf (1.07 megabytes)

Note to Editors:

The Helsinki Commission, or HELCOM, works to protect the marine environment of the Baltic Sea from all sources of pollution through intergovernmental co-operation between the countries bordering the sea - Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden, and also the European Community.

HELCOM is the governing body of the "Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area," more usually known as the Helsinki Convention.

For more information, please contact:

Ms. Monika Stankiewicz

Professional Secretary

HELCOM

Tel: +358 (0)207 412 643

Fax: +358 (0)207 412 639

E-mail: monika.stankiewicz@helcom.fi

Mr. Jorma Kämäräinen

Maritime Safety Department

Finnish Maritime Administration

Tel.: +358 204484249

Fax: +358 204484336