Shenzhen Port to Adopt China ECA Regulation
China's Shenzhen port is set to to adopt requirements for ships at berth requiring to burn marine fuel with sulfur content not exceeding 0.5 percent starting October this year, according to Huatai Insurance Agency & Consultant Service.
The move follows that of other ports in the Yantze River Delta such as Shanghai, Ningbo-Zhoushan, Suzhou and Nantong, which have been limiting emissions as part of a local emission control area (ECA) since April 2016.
As the world 3rd largest port for containers, the problem of vessel emission pollution is quite serious in Shenzhen.
Based on preliminary data, the vessels at Shenzhen Port consumed about 200,000 ton of heavy oil in 2014 that emitted about 1,408 ton of PM2.5, 16,153 ton of NOX and 13,472 ton of SO2, which accounts for about 11.6%, 12.4% and 65.5% respectively of the total emissions in Shenzhen.
Container vessels contribute most to emissions, accounting for 74% of total vessel emissions. The air quality simulation analysis shows that vessel emissions raise the annual average SO2 and NO2 concentration in Shenzhen by 4μg/m3 and 8μg/m3 respectively.
By the end of July, 23 shipping companies with a total of 185 container vessels have committed to using low-sulfur fuel when at berth. They are subsidized 11 million RMB. Shenzhen Port now has 10 berths equipped with shore power facilities, the one that has the most berths with share power facilities nationwide.
