3,700 to nine
The ports of Bremerhaven and Bremen have measured the compliance of incoming vessels with air pollution control regulations over a longer period. In July 2017, the federal maritime and hydrographic agency (Bundesamt für Seeschifffahrt und Hydrografie, BSH) installed an air monitoring station at the northern end of the container terminal Bremerhaven with the support of bremenports.
The pilot project measures the chemical composition of the exhaust gas plumes of passing ships. The results are used to prosecute infringements of the obligation to use low-sulphur marine fuels. The measuring station was put into regular operation in autumn 2017.
In 2019, the exhaust gas plumes of 3,697 vessels were analysed, of which nine (0.24%) showed a suspiciously high sulphur content. These results are comparable with international measurements in Rotterdam (the Netherlands) the Great Belt Bridge and the Öresund Bridge in Denmark and Sweden, and with aircraft measurements in Belgium. (mw)