Page 21 - Port of Baltimore Magazine Sept/Oct 2012
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September/October 2012
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The Port of Baltimore
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Derby added, “It is important to our
customers that WWL stay in the forefront
of these environmental issues so that
we ensure there is no disruption to the
supply chain due to supply or cost. Our
years of experience with low-sulfur fuel
puts us in a good position for 2012,
but the 2015 regulation is even more
significant and not too far away!”
The ECA rules will also apply to
cruise ships, which spend a significant
part of their journey within the 200-mile
boundary.
The overall cost of the North
American ECA is estimated at $3.2
billion in 2020, but the EPA projects it
will prevent 14,000 deaths and relieve
respiratory symptoms for nearly five
million people. The health-related
benefits are estimated to be as much as
$110 billion in the United States.
By 2020, the EPA estimates that
ships complying with the ECA will reduce
nitrogen oxide emissions by 320,000
tons, or 23 percent, while sulfur oxide
emissions will be reduced by 920,000
tons, or 86 percent. Particulate matter
will be reduced by 90,000 tons or 74
percent.
Kiernan noted that air quality
emissions from ocean-going vessels had
not previously been regulated globally
partly because the ships are so mobile —
they cross boundaries and hemispheres
and sail in and out of different ports.
Some ports, such as Los Angeles, are
particularly vulnerable to pollutants
because their geography and weather
patterns can trap pollution from the port
over populated areas. Kiernan explained
that the Port of Baltimore doesn’t cause
anywhere near the air quality concerns.
However, by applying the ECA measure
to all U.S. ports, no one port is given a
competitive cost advantage by being
exempt from the new fuel requirements.
Kiernan recognized that there is
likely to be a cost increase as shipping
and cruise lines utilize more-expensive
fuel to meet the new ECA requirements.
However, he added that these increased
costs will be felt throughout the port
industry nationwide.
“
The reality is that, when compared
to the costs incurred by ships to call
at other East Coast ports, the Port of
Baltimore remains cost-effective and
competitive even taking into account the
new ECA requirements,” Kiernan said.
