A UN agency that regulates the international shipping industry adopted a plan on Friday to dramatically reduce air pollution from ships that sail within 370km of the US and Canadian coasts.
The decision by the London-based International Maritime Organization (IMO) establishes an emissions control area and requires all oceangoing ships, including oil tankers, cargo vessels and cruise ships, to use cleaner fuel within the zone.
The rule, which was proposed by the two nations a year ago, will become enforceable in August 2012. The designation extends to eight major Hawaiian islands and some French island territories.
Up to now, ships that fall outside the US government’s jurisdiction often use heavy, sludge-like fuels with high levels of sulfur. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said the regulation would force ships to use pricier, more-refined fuel that cuts sulfur levels by 98 percent, thereby slashing by up to 85 percent nitrogen oxide emissions and soot pollution that are linked to asthma and cancer.
“This is a change that will benefit millions of people and set in motion new innovations for the shipping industry,” EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson said in a statement.
“The sulfur, particulate emissions and other harmful pollutants from large ships reach from our ports to communities hundreds of miles inland — bringing with them health, environmental and economic burdens,” she said. “Cleaning up our shipping lanes will be a boon to communities across North America.”
The California Air Resources Board estimates that the fuel requirement typically will add US$30,000 to a California port visit.
California is the only state that mandates ships within 44km of the coast to burn cleaner fuel. The rule, which took effect last summer, forced ships heading to California ports to switch from burning so-called bunker fuel to low-sulfur fuel as they enter the buffer zone.
The mandate prompted many vessels heading to the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach to take a shortcut route to save on using the costlier fuel. The different traffic pattern caused safety concerns because some ships entered restricted areas where Navy missile tests were conducted.
California port officials said the IMO ruling would allow the state to compete with North American rivals.
Under pressure to clean up emissions contributing to some of the US’ worst air quality, officials of the giant Long Beach and Los Angeles port complex had also imposed cargo fees to help pay for cleaner trucks that haul goods in and out, raising worries that ships might go elsewhere.
“All vessels will have to comply with the same regulation. It levels the playing field, and we will no longer be putting our port at a competitive disadvantage” said Bob Kanter, managing director of environmental affairs and planning at the Port of Long Beach.
A beauty queen who pulled out of the Miss South Africa competition when her nationality was questioned has said she wants to relocate to Nigeria, after coming second in the Miss Universe pageant while representing the West African country. Chidimma Adetshina, whose father is Nigerian, was crowned Miss Universe Africa and Oceania and was runner-up to Denmark’s Victoria Kjar Theilvig in Mexico on Saturday night. The 23-year-old law student withdrew from the Miss South Africa competition in August, saying that she needed to protect herself and her family after the government alleged that her mother had stolen the identity of a South
BELT-TIGHTENING: Chinese investments in Cambodia are projected to drop to US$35 million in 2026 from more than US$420 million in 2021 At a ceremony in August, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet knelt to receive blessings from saffron-robed monks as fireworks and balloons heralded the breaking of ground for a canal he hoped would transform his country’s economic fortunes. Addressing hundreds of people waving the Cambodian flag, Hun Manet said China would contribute 49 percent to the funding of the Funan Techo Canal that would link the Mekong River to the Gulf of Thailand and reduce Cambodia’s shipping reliance on Vietnam. Cambodia’s government estimates the strategic, if contentious, infrastructure project would cost US$1.7 billion, nearly 4 percent of the nation’s annual GDP. However, months later,
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un renewed his call for a “limitless” expansion of his military nuclear program to counter US-led threats in comments reported yesterday that were his first direct criticism toward Washington since US president-elect Donald Trump’s electoral victory on Oct. 6. At a conference with army officials on Friday, Kim condemned the US for updating its nuclear deterrence strategies with South Korea and solidifying three-way military cooperation involving Japan, which he portrayed as an “Asian NATO” that was escalating tensions and instability in the region. Kim also criticized the US over its support of Ukraine against a prolonged Russian invasion.
Texas’ education board on Friday voted to allow Bible-infused teachings in elementary schools, joining other Republican-led US states that pushed this year to give religion a larger presence in public classrooms. The curriculum adopted by the Texas State Board of Education, which is controlled by elected Republicans, is optional for schools to adopt, but they would receive additional funding if they do so. The materials could appear in classrooms as early as next school year. Republican Texas Governor Greg Abbott has voiced support for the lesson plans, which were provided by the state’s education agency that oversees the more than
RSS