The container and cruise ships must significantly reduce at-berth emissions by scrubbing SOx and NOx pollution. Earlier, container ships were plugged into the electrical grid to reduce emissions while at berth. Now, the California Air Resources Board has approved a new technology by a Carson-based company that uses specialized barges which connect to the exhaust ports of container ships to scrub.
In 2013, the Port of Long Beach financed the Advanced Maritime Emissions Control System, or AMECS by Advanced Cleanup Technologies Inc., (ACTI). Now, the system is ready for marketing. The retrofits available presently can only remove partially the harmful emissions of nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide and particulate matter. But, according to ACTI, the AMECS barge system can meet the state standards by removing 90 to 99 percent, without requiring vessel retrofits.
Port of Long Beach enjoys a record-low pollution level due to the new technology. The officials plan to advance the port’s environmental goals to near-zero and zero emission levels. The California Air Resources Board’s approval of AMECS on container ships will allow ACTI to begin the process of testing the system on other vessel types.
Source: Port of Long Beach
