Port Ship-Related Emission Sources

The emission sources directly associated with ship operations in port include those due to propulsion engines, auxiliary engines and auxiliary boilers plus Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) that is associated with bulk liquid cargos and various Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS) due to refrigeration system. From an air pollutant perspective, vessels can produce significant amount of NOx, SOx and PM from burning fuel in the propulsion engines, auxiliary engines and auxiliary boilers/steam plants. Depending on the geographical configuration of the port area and type of vessels, these three combustion systems can have varied level of emissions. It is important to know for the vessel in question, which of these plays a more important role in ports when it comes to emissions and energy efficiency reduction measures. Most emissions from ships in ports are the result of diesel engines burning heavy fuel oil. Reducing emissions from ship-board diesel engines is therefore one of the significant challenges and opportunities related to improving air quality in port areas. The unique challenge associated with the port area, with regard to reducing ship emissions, is how the emission sources listed above associated with various modes of ship operation in the port area (MariEMS 2017).