Cleaner Fuel for Cruise Ships?

According to the LA Times Thursday July 25, 2008 California mandated that vessels use cleaner fuels or pay huge fines. The rule takes effect in 2009 and would require ships within 24 nautical miles of California to burn low-sulfur diesel instead of the tar-like sludge known as bunker fuel. This ruling of course affects cruise ships. So what is bunker fuel and how does it affect the environment and our health?

Crude oil goes through a process called fractional distillation where gas for cars and jet fuel is separated first. Then heavier fuel like diesel and lubricating oil are separated. Bunker fuel is at the bottom of the barrel. The only thing denser than bunker fuel is the residue which is mixed with tar for paving roads and sealing roofs. Due to its density, bunker fuel emits high level of pollutants into the air like sulphur-oxide and nitrous oxide (wisegeek.com). 

Cruise ships use bunker fuel for its engine, air conditioner and to provide electricity for their guests 24/7. This type of fuel is inexpensive and a cost-effective option for the industry but also the dirtiest fuel. According to a study ‘Mortality from Ship Emissions: A Global Assessment’, by the American Chemical Society Journal of Environmental Science & Technology November 2007, bunker fuel has almost 2000 times the sulfur content of highway diesel fuel in the US and Europe. Also, ship related emission caused 60,000 heart and lung disease deaths in 2002.

Before bringing out the pitch forks and torches to burn cruise lines, industries such as coal mining, paper, tobacco, steel, textile, etc all contribute to killing our environment. This article only focuses on cruise ships.

In their website, airqualityontario.com explains that exposure to high levels of sulphur-oxide (SO2) causes health effects including breathing problems, respiratory illness, changes in the lung's defences, and worsening respiratory and cardiovascular disease. The people most sensitive to SO2 are those suffering from asthma or chronic lung or heart disease. SO2, along with nitrogen oxides, are the main precursors of acid rain. This contributes to the acidification of lakes and streams, accelerated corrosion of buildings and reduced visibility. SO2 also causes formation of microscopic acid aerosols, which have serious health implications as well as contributing to climate change.

In a nutshell, chemicals such as sulphur and nitrogen emitted from ships can kill us and devastate the marine life and our climate. Therefore passing a bill for ships to use low-sulphur diesel and levying taxes on bunker fuel does make sense. Way to go California! Unfortunately, this only applies to Californian ports, not the whole of US or the world. Pity. Meanwhile, the International Marine Organization has been figuring out what to do about this for fifteen years – and apparently still is.

One answer to the problem is switching to cleaner fuel when approaching port and burning the filthy bunker oil whilst at sea. I guess studies have to be done to see if that makes sense. Bunker fuel cost $200 per ton but recently, the price has jumped to $300 per ton. Marine distillate fuel drastically reduces the amount of emissions but cost up to $600 per ton. Updated prices can be found at bunkerworld.com. A complete switch to cleaner fuel can cost the shipping industry millions of dollars per year.

Another answer is for ships to have scrubbers installed in their engine. The sea water scrubber was designed by Krystallon and it uses sea water to chemically scrub sulphur and other contaminants from the engine and then dump the water back into the sea. This has proved to reduce the level of sulphur drastically. Holland America was the first to install a pilot seawater scrubber on one of its ship, the Zaandam. However, this is still just a pilot program and more studies are needed to measure the effects of other harmful chemicals being derived from this process.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is the body responsible for regulating air pollution in the US. The Clean Air Act gives the EPA authority to limit emissions of air pollutants from certain sources like chemical plants, mills etc but ships are not included in this act. Until 2003, cruise ship emissions were not subject to EPA regulations. Currently, there is still no regulation for cruise ship to reduce the air emission from bunker fuel.

Do you think that the Environmental Protection Agency and the International Marine Organization are taking this seriously? Do you think that the Cruise Lines are making every effort to reduce harmful emissions from their ships? Let’s hear your views at our forum.