WASHINGTON: Shenzhen is the latest mainland China port to launch an emissions control program for berthed ships. After Oct. 1, the Shenzhen government has ruled, ships berthed at the port may not burn fuel with a sulfur content of more than 0.5 percent. Nearby ports in the Pearl River Delta will adopt similar sulfur restrictions Jan. 1. Restrictions in neighboring Hong Kong are already in place.
The ports of Shanghai, Suzhou, Ningbo and Nantong in the Yangtze River Delta region implemented similar emissions controls last April. Ports on the Bohai Sea in northern China are expected to follow suit. Shore power facilities have been installed to accommodate berthed ships at Shenzhen, the world’s third-largest container port by volume. Ten berths now have power access, reportedly more than any other mainland port.
According to the website China Environment News, vessels calling at Shenzhen consumed about 200,000 tons of heavy oil in 2014 and emitted more than 13,000 tons of sulfur dioxide. Container ships accounted for 74 percent of all vessel emissions at the port.
