New Ship Sulfur Emission Standards and Nawiliwili-Niamalu

Update on Ship Sulfur Emission Standards, Bunker Fuel, and Nawiliwili-Niamalu

First, some links on the recent local history:
http://savekauai.org/statement-niamalu-resident
http://savekauai.org/niamalu-air-emissions-ship-stacks:-presentation-holland-america

Second, a report on one of the leading scientific studies done on this a number of years ago: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1999/08/990820022710.htm
"Ship Sulfur Emissions Found To Strongly Impact Worldwide Ocean And Coastal Pollution"

"ScienceDaily (Aug. 20, 1999) — PITTSBURGH -- Ship emissions are a dominant contributor to atmospheric sulfur dioxide concentrations over much of the world's oceans and in several coastal regions, researchers from Carnegie Mellon University and Duke University report in a Nature article today..."

Lastly, a few days ago, new international standards on this began to be established:
http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/081009/ship_pollution.html?.v=1
"International body slashes ship air pollution by clamping down on dirty fuel"
By Dina Cappiello, Associated Press Writer October 9, 2008

"WASHINGTON (AP) -- Ships traversing the world's oceans will have to clean up the air under new international regulations adopted Thursday.

The International Maritime Organization set a global cap for the amount of sulfur in marine fuels to reduce the air pollution plaguing ports and coastal communities in the U.S. and worldwide.
Ships will have to burn diesel fuel containing 0.5 percent sulfur by 2020, down from an average of 2.7 percent now.

Countries wanting to accelerate the cleanup can also establish local or regional emission control areas off their coasts. Ships operating in these zones would have to meet a 0.1 percent sulfur content in fuel by 2015, and all new ships would have to have engines that reduce nitrogen oxides by 80 percent.

The Environmental Protection Agency, which took part in the negotiations in London, said Thursday it will apply next year to make U.S. coastal waters emission control areas. The agency is under a federal court order to issue regulations to reduce emissions from oceangoing ships by December 2009..."

One more good article on it at:
http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSTRE49950X20081010?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews


Aloha, Brad