Huge spike in ship emissions due to ships idling in ports
12/07/2021 / By Cassie B.
The supply chain chaos and port backlogs being seen right now aren’t just throwing a wrench in people’s Christmas shopping plans this year – these issues are also causing the biggest rise in ship emissions that we’ve seen in more than a decade.
One big problem is the fact that container ships like those that bring goods from Asian ports to America are taking advantage of good weather on the seas to speed up by up to 22 percent, which means they consume considerably more fuel on their journey.
Then, once they arrive at the port, the unprecedented congestion levels mean that significant numbers of ships are forced to idle in the water, pumping their pollution into the areas neighboring the ports.
Just how bad is the problem? A study by Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University found that ship emissions at the port of Los Angeles doubled from July 2020 to July 2021; emissions rose by 123 percent in Singapore during that time. Some of the biggest emissions increases were seen coming from ships that serve U.S. demand. For example, bulk carriers that transport grain and coal are seeing emissions up by 140 percent, while container ship emissions at ports are up by 94 percent.
https://www.environ.news/2021-12-07-ship-emissions-idling-ports-turnaround.html
