US (CA): Major shippers first to join LA clean ship program
The shipping carriers have registered for the global program and will begin receiving incentives later this year.
The Port of Los Angeles has committed $450,000 to jumpstart the voluntary program. Vessel operators will be rewarded for voluntary engine, fuel and technology enhancements that reduce emissions from ships beyond the regulatory environmental standards set by the International Maritime Organization.
The port, which adopted the clean air incentives program in May, estimates that if the predicted 30 percent of vessels qualify for participation, this would cut diesel particulate matter emissions by 16 tons within the first year and reduce emissions of other pollutants, such as carbon dioxide and sulfur oxides.
The Port of Los Angeles reported this month that its cumulative emissions have dropped as much as 76 percent while container volumes increase 6 percent between 2005 and 2011. On a year-to-year basis, the port’s 2011 Inventory of Air Emissions shows a decrease up to 7 percent of emissions.
Source: environmentalleader.com
