Sea transport trailblazers
Concrete environmental ambitions for the shipping industry are based on goals for a healthier sea and cleaner air.
Cleaner sea issues revolve around:
– Ballast Water Requirements
– Waste and black water which means that the waste, if it is harmful, must be left ashore or burned on board.
– The Baltic Sea has been designated by the IMO as a special area under MARPOL ANNEX IV that prohibits the dumping of toilet waste (black water) from cruise ships when operating the Baltic Sea. However, the ban will not take effect until reception facilities for the waste are in place in busy ports.
Cleaner air issues revolve around:
– Getting the Baltic Sea and the North Sea designated as so-called NECA areas, which has already happened in North America. Within a NECA area, new vessels are required to be equipped with propulsion that reduces emissions of nitrogen oxides by about 80%, compared with 1990. IMO’s committee MEPC adopted the NECA regulations in the Baltic / North Sea during the summer of 2017. The rules come into force on 1 January 2021, which means that newly built vessels (keel-stretched) after 1 January 2021 must comply with the NOx Tier III requirements for emissions of nitrogen oxides if they are to sail in the Baltic / North Sea.
In addition to water and air quality, shipping carries out climate work through continuous energy efficiency as well as ambitions to reduce shipping’s greenhouse gas emissions. At present, the target is fossil carbon dioxide. Within the IMO, long-term climate targets have been set, which means that, starting from base year 2008, carbon dioxide emissions…
… 2030 decrease by 40% in relation to the amount of goods transported [tonnes]
… 2050 decrease by 70% in relation to the amount of goods transported [tonnes]
… 2050 reduce by 50% total (absolute emissions) from shipping
Trailblazers 2019
RoPax services and environmental concern by Viking Line
