MARPOL Annex VI -Emissions from Ships and

Sustainability

By  

Darryl  Martins  
 The Issue
A study has shown that these emissions from international ships are concentrated

within at approximately 200 nautical miles from the coast. Over 60000 deaths annually

are attributed to the ship emissions (Corbett, Winebrake, Green, Kasibhatla, Eyring, &

Lauer, 2007). The many adverse effects of air pollution such as premature deaths,

cardiopulmonary disease, lung cancer, chronic respiratory ailments cannot be

overstated.

The fuels used by ships are generally of very poor quality, being the dregs left

from crude oils, after all the lighter factions have been extracted. The International

Maritime Organization Green House Gas Study, states that International shipping

contributed 2.7% equivalent to 870 million tonnes to the global CO2 emissions (Buhaug,

et al., 2009). With the ever-increasing trade that is required to fuel the growing

economies, this figure is expected to increase exponentially in the coming years.

Shipping and world trade

Shipping is essential to world trade as it is the cheapest means of bulk

transportation. 90 % of the world trade is carried in ships. The tonne per mile carbon

emissions from shipping are the lowest compared to other modes of transportation.

(Buhaug, et al., 2009)

Ships are propelled by diesel engines that use fossil fuels for energy. To date no

other motive power rivals the efficiency of this propulsion system, thereby dictating that

fossil fuel powered ships will be around for many years to come. The International

Maritime Organization (IMO) has come under pressure to address the issue of emissions

from International Shipping.

The Response
 MARPOL Annex VI (protocol of 1997) is the IMO instrument that sets standards

and regulates air emissions from ships. After being ratified by 25 states representing 50%

of the world tonnage, Annex VI came into force on the 19th May 2005. The introduction

of Annex VI has successfully addressed some of the issues of air pollution from ships.

The main GHG emitted from ships are Nitrous Oxide (NO2), Sulfur dioxide (SO2)

and Carbon Dioxide (CO2). Each gas has been addressed by Annex VI. The NOx

technical code sets the limit of NO2 emissions from engines built after the year 2000. The

NO2 emitted is dependent on the piston speed (engine revolutions per minute) of the

engines. Ships built after the year 2000 are all fitted with tier I compliant engines. Tier II

which reduces the NO2 emissions from new engines marginally, takes effect in 2011. Tier

III which is a drastic cut of NO2 emissions comes into effect in 2016. The tier II

requirements have been met by reducing the temperature of the exhaust gases and fitting

Selective Catalytic Reactors (SCR). For Tier III there have been some solutions, but these

have not been received well as they reduce the efficiency of the engines.

SO2 emissions have been addressed by regulating the Sulfur content in the fuel

used by ships. At present, the maximum sulfur content allowed is 4.5 % by weight. This

is mandated for reduction to 3.5% by 2012 and after a review in 2018 down to 0.5% by

2020.

With CO2 emissions, there has been little progress. A system of voluntary Ship

Energy Efficiency Management Plan has been suggested by the IMO to promote better

management of energy use. Market Based Instruments (MBI) and a bunker levy (BL)

have been recommended to allow the market to find a viable solution. Both these
suggestions to date have met with resistance. IMO now has a deadline to submit a

acceptable proposal before the Conference of the Parties (COP) in 2012.

The complexity of Shipping

International Shipping is a complex industry. Ships are governed by prevalent

environmental laws of the flag state (the country in which the ship is registered), for

environmental compliance.

The Review of Maritime Transport published by the United Nations Conference

on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) found that 35 countries controlled 95.6% of the

global merchant fleet of ships over 1000 tons. The majority of these being owned by

citizen of developed countries with stringent environmental requirements. However, the

majority of these ships were registered with another country, most of which had

diminished environmental standards or enforcement of those standards. (McGuire &

Periveir, 2011)

The nature of ownership, the flags of convenience, internationally located

charterers and sub charterers, fictitious cargo owners and cargo shippers, remotely based

managers and operators and the international nature of crews are some of the issues that

contribute to the complexity. This has made it difficult to enforce the principle of

‘polluter must pay’ as it is difficult to pin point the ownership of the pollution.

Ship owners generally do not feel the obligation to run their ships at high

efficiency or try out new fuel saving technology, as the cost-benefit accrued goes to the

charterers. The IMO GHG Study 2009 has assessed that just by operational measures

there is a potential for reducing the CO2/tonne-mile anywhere between 10 and 50%

(Buhaug, et al., 2009).

 Ships spend most of their lives, in international waters, where the tragedy of the

commons takes precedence. A majority of international ships fly flags of convenience

and this has been sighted as one of the main cause of the unsustainable nature of

shipping.

Regulations and their enforcement

The consensus is that it takes at least seven years for the IMO to formulate, ratify

and implement any legislation internationally. This slow reaction to pressing

environmental issues has frustrated the international community. This is evident from the

unilateral measures that have been taken by some coastal nations and states. The Sulfur

Emission Control Areas of the North Sea and Baltic (SECA) and the California Air

Regulation Board (CARB) have set their own standards that are imposed on ships that

trade in their ports. In the SECA area fuel with a sulfur content of 1.5% must be used.

This will be reduced to 0.5% in 2015.

The governance of the regulations is left up to the flag state, supported by port

state inspectors in various ports of the world. The standards used by all these inspectors

vary by jurisdiction. In some jurisdictions, environmental standards are strict. In others,

they are practically non-existent and in some cases, the affordable dollars set the

standard. Ship owners and operators looking for cost cutting take advantage of these

differences in standards.

Corporate Social Responsibility

 Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in Environmental affairs is a concept that

has not matured within the corporate structure of shipping companies. One of the reasons

is because of the cyclic nature of the industry. In good times a particular ship could earns

$200,000 per day, yet when there is an economic crunch, the same ship could be

chartered for $9000 per day. These low figures do not even cover the daily operational

costs of the ships. This high a difference is not imaginable in other transport industries

where the earnings do not fluctuate as much. It is understandable that this leaves ship

owners very insecure and with little or no incentive to invest in CSR for which there may

not be any payback.

Achieving Sustainability in Shipping

The Kyoto Protocol of 1997 was the first global response to address the causes of

climate change and promote sustainability. However, the protocol neglected to consider

shipping and no mention of the industry was made. The principle of the Common But

Differentiated Responsibilities (CBDR) is a cause of disagreement within International

Shipping Community, as some flag states claim rights under the CBDR principles as far

as carbon emissions go.

International shipping when viewed, as a system is complex to which the tragedy

of the commons applies in many areas. There is no doubt that international environmental

laws should apply to international shipping. The IMO has been a working tirelessly

towards this end. This can only happen if ship owners are given some incentives for

showing CSR.

In a recent study at the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth three issues that

need studying to make international shipping sustainable, these are :

 1. The need to internalize Environmental Costs

2. The willingness to deal with higher shipping costs

3. A more comprehensive policy approach to Globalization the Incorporates

Sustainable Principles.

(McGuire & Periveir, 2011)

Works  Cited  
Buhaug, O., Cobertt, J. J., Eyring, V., Endersen, O., Faber, J., Hanayama, S., et al. (2009,
April). Second IMO GHG Study 2009. 4-5. London, UK: International Maritime
Organization.

Corbett, J., Winebrake, J., Green, E., Kasibhatla, Eyring, V., & Lauer, A. (2007, May
11). Mortality from Ship Emissions: A Global Assessment. Environmental Science and
Technology . American Chemical Society.

McGuire, C., & Periveir, H. (2011). The Nonexistence of Sustainability in International

Maritime Shipping: Issues For Consideration. Journal of Sustainable Development , 4
(1), 7.