By: Fiona Anderson
Vancouver Sun
May 17, 2007
Original article
The ports of Vancouver, Seattle and Tacoma have agreed to ambitious targets to reduce particulate emissions from ships at dock by 70 per cent by 2010 and those from cargo handlers by 30 per cent.
The targets -- part of the Northwest Ports Clean Air Strategy released Wednesday -- focus on diesel particulates at the port, because that's "where we could have a big influence rapidly," Port of Seattle spokesman Mick Shultz said in an interview.
Diesel particulates can affect people's health, so emissions from ships at dock and from on-dock cargo handlers can have the greatest effect because that's where people live and work, he said.
And the same measures that reduce diesel emissions often impact other pollutants, including greenhouse gases.
The 70-per-cent goal for reductions, which applies to overall emissions and is not on a per-ship basis, can be attained by using cleaner fuels while at dock, a news release issued by the ports said. Cargo-handling equipment, such as cranes and forklifts, can meet their 30-per-cent reduction target by switching to an ultra-low sulphur diesel or a bio-diesel blend, as well as upgrading equipment.
The strategy also includes plans to discuss with industry possible targets for trains, trucks and harbour vessels, as well as targets on greenhouse gases.
While Shultz refused to call the goals a wish list, there will be no penalties if industry does not meet the targets.
"The whole concept here [is] it's voluntary, it's collaborative," Shultz said.
"We need to work with our partners in industry to make it happen," he added.
And those partners have every incentive to work with the ports to cut down on pollution, he said. Because with the ports growing, if steps aren't taken to control emissions there will be more scrutiny directed toward the industry, and that could lead to regulatory action.
"And that regulatory action may not be as easy to live with," Shultz said.
The Vancouver Port Authority has already put in place some environmental guidelines. Last May, it introduced environmental standards including emission testing as part of its licensing of container trucks accessing the ports. In April, it began an incentive system awarding ships a gold, silver or bronze ranking -- and a commensurate reduction in harbour fees -- if they met certain emission standards.
If seven out of every 10 ships attain the bronze standard, Vancouver ports would be able to reduce its diesel particulate emissions by the 70-per-cent target, said Darrell Desjardin, Vancouver Port Authority's director of environmental programs. But the port would like to see a much higher level of compliance, with a number of ships attaining the gold standard reducing emissions both at dock and within 24 nautical miles of Vancouver, Desjardin said.
Garth McSween, manager of marine operations policy at the Chamber of Shipping, welcomed the new strategy.
The shipping industry has been lobbying for just such an international approach, McSween said.
fionaanderson@png.canwest.com
(SIDEBAR)
THREE-PORT HARMONY ON EMISSIONS CLEANUP:
The ports of Vancouver, Seattle and Tacoma are targeting diesel particulate matter (DPM) in maritime air emissions -- not just from ships but also from all that activity on land needed to load and offload ships. The plan is to reduce DPM from oceangoing vessels by 70 per cent by 2010 and DPM from cargo-handling equipment by 30 per cent during the same time period. Here's what both vessel and land-based operations produced in the Puget Sound air basin in 2005.
Tons of maritime DPM emissions from vessels
Oceangoing vessels
815
Harbour vessels
445
Total
1,260
Tons of maritime DPM emissions from land operations
Rail and heavy-duty vehicles
110
Cargo handling equipment
74
Total
184
