Environmental and social risks related to seafaring emissions in the Baltic Sea
2018
Rijkure, A., University of Latvia, Riga (Latvia)
Coastal countries must take measures to reduce harmful air emissions from ships and strengthen joint coordinated efforts to make the Baltic Sea a model for clean navigation in order to improve its endangered and sensitive environment. Coastal states and ports are directly responsible for monitoring and controlling the ships’ compliance with national and international laws. Compliance monitoring and control is carried out by ship inspections and fuel sampling, especially for ships that do not use air emission abatement technologies. Although progress has been made towards reducing sulphur emissions in the Baltic Sea, a work has still to be done to achieve effective and consistent monitoring and enforcement. This issue will become even more important when further nitrogen oxide emission limit values in the region are introduced. Emissions of nitrogen oxides strongly affect air pollution, and together with carbon dioxide emissions they facilitate acidification of seawater. Nitrogen emissions from ships are the result of nitrogen deposition, which contributes to eutrophication − one of the major problems in the Baltic Sea. The aim of the study is to research the ship generated air emissions and their impact on environment, to analyse the situation in the Baltic Sea region, and to develop proposals for reducing ship-generated emissions. The potential for reduction of ship-generated emissions in the Baltic Sea is based on compliance with international and regional requirements as well as integration of strategic solutions. Scientific literature, international conventions and European legislation, international studies and methodological materials as well as Internet resources will be used during development of this research.
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