Dojima Marine and Korkyra Shipping admit using HFO near California coast
The US state of California’s Air Resources Board (ARB) has fined Japanese shipping company Dojima Marine and Croatian-based Korkyra Shipping US$55,500 each for failing to use distillate fuel when less than 24 nautical miles from California’s shores.
ARB Enforcement Chief James Ryden asserted: “Burning dirty bunker fuel produces unacceptable amounts of particulate matter and sulphur dioxide. Requiring ships to burn cleaner fuel provides
significant benefits for California’s coastal communities by reducing asthma triggers and airborne carcinogens.”
According to ATB the two cooperated and each acknowledged that their ships had operated in regulated California waters using residual bunker fuel rather than marine distillate.
The money raised by the fines is to go to the California Air Pollution Control Fund to support projects and research to improve the state’s air quality.
ARB claims that the clean fuel requirement, adopted in 2008, reduced diesel-particulate matter from ships blowing over the state by 15 tons per day, an 83 percent reduction of the previously uncontrolled emissions from ships. It also says that the imposed switch to distillates cut sulphur oxide emissions by 40 tons per day, a 95%, and nitrogen oxide emissions by 11 tons per
day, a 6%reduction.
Source: World Bunkering
