The EPA has been working to address emissions emitted from ocean vessels. The goals are to improve air quality and protect human health.
There are two types of diesel engines used on ocean-going vessels: main propulsion and auxiliary engines. The main propulsion engines on most ocean-going vessels are very large “Category 3″ marine diesel engines (those with per-cylinder displacement at or above 30 liters). Auxiliary engines on ocean-going vessels typically range in size from small portable generators to locomotive-size engines with power of 4,000 kilowatts or more. Auxiliary engines on U.S.-flagged ocean-going vessels are subject to EPA’s marine diesel engine standards for engines with per-cylinder displacement up to 30 liters per cylinder.
The regulations set limits on ozone depleting substances such as sulfur oxide and nitrogen oxide.
The emission standards apply in two stages: near-term standards for newly-built engines will apply beginning in 2011, and long-term standards requiring an 80 percent reduction in nitrogen dioxides (NOx) will begin in 2016.
Decreased air quality causes respiratory problems for humans including lung disease and decreased lung function in children.
EPA estimates that in 2030, this effort will prevent between 12,000 and 31,000 premature deaths and 1.4 million work days lost. The estimated annual health benefits in 2030 as a result of reduced air pollution are valued between $110 and $270 billion, which is up to nearly 90 times the projected cost of $3.1 billion to achieve those results.
There are a few provisions regarding the Great Lakes and the Saint Lawrence Seaway.
First, vessels may now use other methods to achieve sulfur dioxide emissions reductions equivalent to those obtained by the use of lower sulfur fuel. Second, a fuel availability relief provision has been added for use only by vessels with diesel engines operating on the Great Lakes and Saint Lawrence Seaway. This provision allows operators to buy the lowest sulfur marine residual fuel available if fuel that meets the near-term 1.0 percent (10,000 ppm) fuel sulfur standard is not available. Furthermore, we are finalizing an economic hardship relief provision for vessels with diesel engines operating on the Great Lakes and Saint Lawrence Seaway. This option provides temporary relief from the 2015 ECA-level fuel sulfur standards upon demonstration that the burden of compliance costs would cause serious economic hardship. Finally, reflecting technical challenges to the use of lower sulfur fuels in steamships, a corresponding potential for reduced safety and a clear directive from the Congress, we are excluding from this final action the application of the ECA-level fuel sulfur standards in MARPOL Annex VI to existing steamships operating on the Great Lakes and Saint Lawrence Seaway.
The EPA’s intent was to reduced air emissions without compromising safety or the maritime economy. This is a step forward in protecting thousands of miles of US and Canadian costal waterways, including the Great Lakes.
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