The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has officially accepted the proposal to designate waters off the North American coasts as an Emission Control Area (ECA).
As per the regulation, large ships that operate in ECAs must use cleaner fuel and technology, leading to air quality and public health benefits that extend hundreds of miles inland.
The large commercial ships such as oil tankers, cruise ships and container ships, that visit the nation’s ports, currently use fuel with very high sulfur content which, when burnt, emits harmful levels of particulate matter and nitrogen oxide that are hazardous to health.
These ships, mostly belonging to foreign flags, make more than 57,000 calls at more than 100 US ports annually. More than 30 of these ports are in metropolitan areas that fail to meet federal air quality standards. In total, nearly 127 million people currently live in areas that fail to meet US air quality standards.
Enforcing the ECA standards is expected to reduce sulfur content in fuel by 98% – slashing particulate matter emissions by 85%, and nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions by 80%. To achieve these reductions, sulfur standards will phase in starting in 2012, ultimately reaching no more than 1,000 parts per million by 2015.
Also, new ships must use advanced emission control technologies beginning in 2016 which will help reduce NOx emissions. Canada and France join the US in this North American ECA, implementing a coordinated geographic emissions control program.
In developing the US proposal, EPA joined with federal partners at the Departments of Homeland Security, Defense, State, Transportation, and Commerce, among others.
The North American ECA is a key part of EPA program to address harmful emissions from large ships. Other elements include voluntary partnerships under EPA’s Clean Ports US program and implementation of a Clean Air Act rulemaking that EPA finalized last December.
Lisa Jackson, administrator of EPA, said: “This is a change that will benefit millions of people and set in motion new innovations for the shipping industry.
”The sulfur, particulate emissions and other harmful pollutants from large ships reach from our ports to communities hundreds of miles inland — bringing with them health, environmental and economic burdens. Cleaning up our shipping lanes will be a boon to communities across North America.”