Friday, October 26, 2012

Environmental journal: lower vessel speeds could cut pollution by 70 percent

Requiring cargo carriers to observe speed limits around ports and coastal areas might cause GHG emission reductions of up to 70 percent, according to an article in Environmental Science &Technology. Cargo ships release more that 20 percent of the CO2 pollution caused by the shipping industry as a whole, although they only may up less than 5 percent of the world shipping fleet, say the writers.

Fuel consumption and smoke stack emissions increase with speed, the article asserts. Slowing vessels to 14 mph reduced carbon dioxide by 60 percent and nitrogen oxides by 55 percent, compared to typical speeds of up to 29 mph, the scientists said. They said that reducing speed near population areas could protect the health of people in those areas.

This Port of Los Angeles vessel speed reduction program cut the port's cumulative emissions by as much as 76 percent, even though container volumes increased 6 percent between 2005 and 2011, reports the Port of Los Angeles' 2011 Inventory of Air Emissions.

For more of the Environmental Leader story: environmentalleader.com

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