Big polluters: one container ship equals 50 million cars

[Shawn]

Britain and other European governments have been accused of underestimating the health risks from shipping pollution following research which shows that one giant container ship can emit almost the same amount of cancer and asthma-causing chemicals as 50m cars.
Confidential data from maritime industry insiders based on engine size and the quality of fuel typically used by ships and cars shows that just 15 of the world's biggest ships may now emit as much pollution as all the world's 760m cars. Low-grade ship bunker fuel (or fuel oil) has up to 2,000 times the sulphur content of diesel fuel used in US and European automobiles. Continue Reading...

[Tankerchief]

Where do they come up with this garbage. These ships burn the same fuel as the power plants. In CA, they are requiring all vessels in LA and LB plug into shore power and go cold iron. I am sure that the windmills ashore will load up, not the local power plant burning the same fuels with the inherent transmission losses. The net effect is more emissions, not less.

[injunear]

They've been talking about cold ironing for the last 8 years. One of the oil companies implemented the program voluntarily a couple of years ago. There were no VFDs redily available to run the 50 cycle systems so they had skid-mounted gensets on the dock. (I smell a bro-in-law deal)

I'd like to see the size of the freq converter to cold iron a vessel with 20 200hp electric pumps, IG, ballast pumps and mooring winches.

[Steamer]

Where do they come up with this garbage. These ships burn the same fuel as the power plants. In CA, they are requiring all vessels in LA and LB plug into shore power and go cold iron. I am sure that the windmills ashore will load up, not the local power plant burning the same fuels with the inherent transmission losses. The net effect is more emissions, not less.

The garbage is quoted above. California law requires changing over to diesel at 24 miles from the coast. The generators don't burn heavy fuel at the dock.

Shoreside plants that burn heavy oil are fitted with particulate reduction systems and the emissions are far more controlled than a ship's. You can't compare a ship's power plant to a shoreside installation. Not all ships require a freqency convertor to be provided and as diesel electric becomes more common it just gets easier. Those trailer mounted generators that are used on the APL and other boxboats burn clean squeaky clean natural gas.

"Tankerchief?" You might want to look at the ATC tankers that go cold iron in Long Beach. Spend some time reading about the how and why before posting nonsense.