Search

The Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences launched its airborne sniffer program in 2015 whereby a custom-built sniffer sensor was installed onboard the Belgian coastguard aircraft enabling the measurement of SO2 and NOx emitted by ocean-going vessels (OGVs). The data gathered on non-compliant OGVs were subsequently sent to port inspection authorities, who were then able to trigger inspections more rapidly than had they not had the data from the aircraft. This study reveals the added value of airborne alerts on port inspection effectiveness, a subject that had not been previously documented. This article demonstrates that airborne alerts have not only led to increased sanctions but have also drastically improved the efficiency of port inspection authorities, leading to a 50% reduction in the enforcement cost per confirmed violation. Port inspection authorities were able to follow up on 46% of the generated Fuel Sulphur Content (FSC) alerts. Of the alerts that were followed up, 43% were confirmed as non-compliant after inspection. This means that 20% of the total number of generated airborne alerts, which includes those that were not able to be followed up, met conditions for legal sanctioning. In contrast, for NOx alerts, only limited follow-ups were conducted by port inspection authorities. None of the alerts were confirmed with those inspections, mainly due to the lack of inspection mechanisms for real-world NOx emissions under IMO and EU regulations. In addition, for this study, a large-scale remote FSC measurement validation analysis was conducted for the first time, comparing airborne FSC measurements and FSC reference data. In order to obtain FSC reference data, onboard measurements from exhaust gas cleaning systems (EGCSs) were collected, together with fuel samples from Belgian port inspection authorities. The validation analysis revealed that the empiric deviation in the airborne FSC measurements with the FSC reference data was 9%, which was significantly lower than the 25% uncertainty used in the reporting of the alerts. This study helps pave the way for an increased role of airborne monitoring in the MARPOL Annex VI enforcement chain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The harmful environmental and human health consequences of air pollution from ships are widely acknowledged, leading to their regulation under IMO's MARPOL Annex VI, setting limits on the emission of SO x and NO x from ships. This article provides an overview of the current progress made by the Bonn Agreement (BA) in adopting a MARPOL Annex VI monitoring strategy. In 2019, the North Sea Ministers of the parties of the BA formally agreed to include MARPOL Annex VI within the jurisdiction of the BA. Through cooperation on MARPOL Annex VI enforcement at sea, the BA aims to attain a significant decrease in air pollution violations, similar to the accomplished outcomes observed in the past three decades regarding oil pollution. Subsequently, in 2021, a BA MARPOL Annex VI expert workshop was convened, which identified a series of action points. To effectively address these action points, two working groups (WGs) were established: the Strategic Operational WG and the Technical WG. The primary objective of the WGs is the exchange of best practices, monitoring outcomes and the harmonization of enforcement practices among the Parties of the BA, with the aim of implementing an efficient monitoring and enforcement strategy within the BA. The BA has recognized that remote monitoring operations play a pivotal role within this strategy. This article explores the extent to which remote measurements can contribute to the development of a regional enforcement strategy for MARPOL Annex VI within the framework of the BA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the role of the European Union (EU) in the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in the prevention of vessel-source pollution. It states that EU, though a non-member, has effectively coordinated with the IMO in carrying out vessel-source pollution initiatives. Cited as examples of EU's successful coordination process for influencing IMO's decision making are the cases which involved phasing out single hull tankers and the designation of the Western European Particular Sensitive Sea Areas (WE PSSA).