Lloyd's Maritime and Commercial Law Quarterly
CONTROLLING PM BY PROXY? INTERNATIONAL REGULATION OF SULPHUR AND PM EMISSIONS FROM SHIPPING
Kate Lewins * and Matthew Loxham †
Ships are major contributors to global emissions of air pollutants, with their health and environmental effects being of particular concern in port cities and heavily populated coastal areas adjacent to major shipping lanes. This paper outlines the international regulations tackling two such ship pollutants, being oxides of sulphur (SOx) and particulate matter (PM). In order to understand the current regulatory strategy, it reviews the health and environmental impact of these emissions. The paper then addresses the 2020 sulphur cap on marine fuel imposed by MARPOL and its potential efficacy in reducing the health and environmental effects of shipping emissions. Examples of differing regional and national regulation of sulphur and PM are presented and discussed. The article questions whether the current international regulatory framework directed at reducing sulphur emissions from ships is an appropriate means to reduce PM emissions.
I. INTRODUCTION
This paper concerns the regulation of sulphur and particulate matter (PM) emissions from international shipping. Shipping is a highly efficient means of transport essential for world trade. Ships have traditionally used degraded residual heavy fuel oil (HFO).1 HFO has a sulphur content which is higher than other shipping fuels, and orders of magnitude higher than road vehicle fuels, and similarly contains metals and other non-combusted contaminants in greater concentrations than other petroleum products.2
* Professor of Law, Murdoch University; Academic Fellow, Centre for Maritime Law, Faculty of Law, National University of Singapore. Thanks to the Institute of Maritime Law, University of Southampton, for hosting me during research leave and to Ben Adamson for his research assistance.
† Senior Research Fellow, Academic Unit of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton/NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre/Southampton Marine and Maritime Institute/Institute for Life Sciences, University of Southampton. Matthew Loxham is funded by a Future Leader Fellowship from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC [UK] Ref: BB/P011365/1) and a Senior Fellowship from the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) Southampton Biomedical Research Centre.
1. Bin Lin, Chrng-Yuan Lin, “Compliance with International Emission Regulations: Reducing the Air Pollution from Merchant Vessels” (2006) 30 Marine Policy 220, 220.
2. S Oeder et al, “Particulate Matter from Both Heavy Fuel Oil and Diesel Fuel Shipping Emissions Show Strong Biological Effects on Human Lung Cells at Realistic and Comparable In Vitro Exposure Conditions” (2015) 10(6) PLoS ONE: e0126536. doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0126536.
Controlling PM by proxy
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