Air pollution from ship diesel fuels and other sources adds to the growing environmental concern that marine terminals are in a unique position to alleviate.
Modern terminal operators need to know not only the environmental regulatory requirements they’re subject to but also the government initiatives and grants they can access to upgrade critical infrastructure while minimizing pollution.
Clean Air Act (CAA)
In the United States, the CAA regulates two separate kinds of air pollution. The first is known as criteria pollutants and includes elements like lead, carbon monoxide, and ozone.
The second is hazardous air pollutants (HAPs). This list includes 188 HAPs that are subject to tight federal controls.
Marine terminals are required to comply with the CAA and need to pay special attention to:
- Emission Control: The primary source of air pollution from port terminals is emissions, specifically diesel engines used in ships, trucks, and cargo handling equipment.
- Hazardous Materials: Some ships may have containers filled with hazardous materials included in the list of 188 HAPs.
- Operational Restraints: Compliance with the CAA may require special measures, such as updating shore power systems to allow docked ships to run on electricity rather than diesel engines.
EPA Ports Initiative
The EPA ports initiative is a natural extension of both the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the CAA.
It’s a federal initiative launched in 2016 to make U.S. ports global leaders in clean and efficient freight and passenger transportation.
The 5 key elements of the initiative include:
- Funding: Ports may have access to funding for clean technologies.
- Technical Resources: The initiative provides the tools necessary to identify smart infrastructure investments.
- Collaboration: By working within the initiative, port and terminal operators may find additional community collaboration to help plan upgrades and improvements.
- Coordination: Coordination with federal agencies can improve the efficiency of America’s ports.
- Communications: The initiative aims to create a knowledge resource center that will serve as a point of reference for American port and terminal operators seeking to improve air quality and reduce emissions.
Diesel Emissions Reduction Act
Since diesel emissions are a typical marine terminal’s primary source of air pollution, the DERA program can be an invaluable way to achieve CAA compliance and increase operational efficiency.
How DERA Works:
DERA is a voluntary program that marine terminals can utilize to access funding for emission-reducing projects and investments.
- 70% of federal funding appropriated to DERA is used for national competitive grants and rebates, which fund projects using EPA or California Air Resources Board (CARB) diesel emission reduction technologies.
- 30% of DERA appropriation is allocated to states and territories for their own diesel emissions reduction programs.
Terminal operators, owners, and managers interested in applying for DERA grants or rebates should check grants.org and this catalog of all federal programs available to state and local governments.
Types of Pollution Generated in Marine Terminals
Most of the air pollution generated by marine terminals comes from diesel fuel contaminants that would be classified as criteria pollutants by the CAA.
These include:
- Carbon monoxide (CO)
- Carbon dioxide (CO2)
- Nitrogen oxides (NOx)
- Particulate Matter
- Methane (CH4)
- Nitrous Oxide (N2O)
- Fluorinated gasses (e.g., Hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, sulfur hexafluoride, and nitrogen trifluoride)
Poor air quality is a major economic impactor, so international efforts to reduce these emissions have resulted in major policies like the CAA in the USA and the designation of emission control areas (ECAs) in Europe.
3 Common Challenges to Minimizing Pollution
Marine terminals who are serious about reducing their contribution to air pollution will likely face challenges.
1. High Implementation Cost
Challenge: Upgrading equipment, infrastructure, and engines to reduce emissions often requires a significant financial investment.
Solution: Government grants and programs, such as the EPA’s port initiative and DERA, can provide financial assistance to terminals looking to reduce their emissions. This is a potential opportunity to reduce environmental impact and upgrade critical infrastructure at a discount.
2. Regulatory Complexity
Challenge: Understanding various international, national, and local regulations can be overwhelming.
Solution: Look for business partners, including legal experts, environmental consultants, and technology partners, who can assist in tracking regulatory changes and ensuring timely and accurate reporting.
3. Adaptation
Challenge: Integrating new technologies and processes requires workforce adaptation and training. This can trigger resistance and anxiety among your employees.
Solution: Develop detailed training programs that not only cover technical details but inform employees of the underlying reasons for the change.
4 Best Practices to Reduce Air Pollution
Here are 4 best practices marine terminals can utilize on their journey to minimize air pollution.
- Encourage or require the use of low-sulfur fuels for ships docking in your terminal, or look to convert to shore-side electricity to power berthing ships and significantly reduce emissions of SOx, NOx, PM, and CO2.
- Encourage or require the installation of scrubbers that exhaust systems. This can cut SO2 emissions by up to 99%.
- Encourage the adoption of internal engine modification technologies, such as water injection and exhaust gas recirculation (EGR), in ship engines. These can significantly reduce NOx produced during combustion.
- Enforce compliance through robust monitoring systems and thorough reporting.
Create Streamlined Solutions with Tideworks
Marine terminal operators play a critical role in mitigating air pollution. Adopting measures such as using low-sulfur fuel, advanced exhaust scrubbers, and internal engine modifications can significantly reduce their environmental impact.
If you need a software partner who knows the marine terminal industry and understands the need for environmental compliance, contact Tideworks. Let’s work together.