The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has conducted a national scale assessment that examines the current and future emissions from diesel sources operating in port areas.
The report, entitled ‘The National Port Strategy Assessment: Reducing Air Pollution and Greenhouse Gases at U.S. Ports’ explores the potential for available strategies and equipment to reduce emissions from port equipment and ocean-going vessels further.
The report states that air pollution at ports, including greenhouse gases (GHG) and other harmful emissions, can be reduced significantly using various strategies and cleaner technologies.
Researchers examined current and future emission trends from diesel engines in port areas, and explores the emissions reduction potential of strategies like replacing and repowering older, dirtier vehicles and engines and deploying zero emissions technologies.
For instance, the report found that replacing older drayage trucks operating at ports with newer, cleaner diesel trucks can reduce nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions by around 48% and particulate matter (PM) emissions by up to 63% by 2020. The report also found that by replacing older cargo handling equipment with electric technologies CO2 emissions could be reduced in 2030 by up to 18% and in 2050 by up to 45% as compared to the Business as Usual case.
Previous schemes and strategies, such as the implementation of the North American and US Caribbean Sea Emission Control Areas (ECAs), where a maximum 0.1% sulphur content fuel is permitted has reduced fuel-based PM emissions by around 90% since its 2015 implementation. The US EPA therefore is supportive of large-scale strategies but is also continuing to encourage stakeholder to adopt voluntary strategies.
In light of the expanding ports in the United States, the EPA has developed a Port Initiative that works to reduce air pollution and GHG emissions to increase sustainability at ports and improve the air quality for residents. The initiative, which is supported by the findings of the recent report, aims to encourage stakeholders to work towards replacing older port vehicles and equipment with newer cleaner technology to reduce pollution and increase public health.
Christopher Grundler, director of EPA’s Office of Transportation and Air Quality commented: “This report shows that there are many opportunities to reduce harmful pollution at ports that we know will work. This is great news for the roughly 39 million Americans who live and breathe near these centres of commerce.”
To view the full report, please click here.
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