Ship Smog Seen as Next Target to Clear Hong Kong Skies - Bloomberg News

Posted - By Ben Richardson on April 04, 2012 - Bloomberg News

As OOCL London entered the English Channel in early February, the 323-meter vessel owned by Hong Kong’s biggest container line was forced to switch from burning the black sludge known as bunker oil to less polluting fuel. That wasn’t the case in the ship’s home harbor last week.

Vessels calling at North Sea and Baltic ports must use fuel containing no more than 1 percent sulfur to cut emissions estimated to cause at least 60,000 deaths a year worldwide. Ships steaming into Hong Kong are free to burn less costly 3.5 percent sulfur oil, which means they account for a growing share of the city’s air pollution and threaten the health of more than 25 million people in China’s Pearl River Delta.
Emissions from Orient Overseas International Ltd. (316), A.P. Moeller-Maersk A/S (MAERSKB) and their rivals are under rising scrutiny as Hong Kong seeks to fix a mounting smog problem at home and meet the demands of leaders in Beijing to deliver cleaner air. Tightening marine fuel standards in the delta will add to costs for shipping lines, already squeezed by record energy prices and too many vessels competing for cargo.

Complete post at:
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-04-04/ship-smog-seen-as-next-target-to-clear-hong-kong-skies