Evaluation of Effects of Ship Emissions Control Areas

Abstract

With the growing number of ships, emissions from the shipping industry now rank as one of the three major sources of air pollutants. This has aroused the concern of more and more countries and international organizations. To control shipping emissions, three ship emissions control areas (ECAs) have been set up in China. This study first evaluates the effectiveness of the ECA designed to reduce sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions in the Shanghai, China, port area, and then estimates carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions reduction by regarding the ECA as a reduced speed zone by using container ships’ data. The case study of the port of Shanghai finds that for the year 2020, a reduction in SO2 emissions by at least 103,998.17 tons can be achieved with the 12-nmi ECA of Shanghai port, CO2 emissions can be reduced by 827,733.64 tons with a 12-knot speed limit in the 12-nmi ECA, and an additional SO2 reduction of 522.23 tons can be achieved by slow steaming within the ECA. The results also show that adoption of a shoreside power supply system can lead to a remarkable reduction of all the air pollutant emissions inventories. The positive effect of emissions reduction is much more significant than the extra costs incurred by ship operators and ports. The goal of reductions in emissions to improve the air quality of port areas could be achieved through adopting these “green” port policies in the future.