---

A new report released by the US Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), has recommended protective policy action at this week’s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) meeting of the International Maritime Organization, where the international body will decide on standards that could significantly reduce pollution from large ocean-going ships by requiring cleaner engines, pollution control technologies and cleaner fuel.

The report entitled “Floating Smokestacks: A Call for Action to Clean Up Marine Shipping Pollution," says that large ocean-going ships are a major source of urban smog pollution and one of the world’s largest emitters of greenhouse gases. It also calims that large vessels release dangerous diesel pollution that is a public health threat to millions living and working in the Houston/Galveston region and other U.S. coastal communities.

The report found that ocean-going ships in the Houston/Galveston area annually emit approximately 5,600 tonnes of smog-forming nitrogen oxide (NOx) and 590 tonnes of particulate matter pollution (PM 2.5). The EDF claims the NOx emissions are comparable to the pollution from more than 6 million new cars.

Last week, federal regulators reclassified Houston's smog problem as “severe,” a designation held by only one other city in the country: Los Angeles.

“Unfortunately, Houston is hard hit by some of the most unhealthy smog levels in the nation,” said Elena Craft, an air quality specialist in EDF’s Houston office.

“Strong international action can have significant local clean air benefits. Cleaning up pollution from these ‘floating smokestacks,’ in addition to the Port of Houston implementing a comprehensive clean air plan, is an important step toward restoring healthy air in our community.”

“Large ocean-going ships are vital for international commerce, but the pollution from these ships is harmful to human health,” said Janea Scott, an EDF senior attorney.

Commenting on this week's MEPC meeting, Scott said it was "critical in putting in place a clean air blueprint for these big ships that will mean healthier air for our coastal communities.”

The new report analyzed the latest available data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (2001) and found that large ocean-going ships in the United States emitted:

* Approximately 54,000 tons of particulate matter (PM 2.5), equivalent to the emissions from aproximately 117 coal-fired power plants, the EDF says.

*Approximately 745,000 tons of smog-forming nitrogen oxides, equivalent to the NOx emissions from 94 coal-fired power plants, according to the EDF.

*Almost 40 percent of all sulfur dioxide emitted by the transportation sector.

The report also concluded that ocean-going ships are responsible for approximately 3 percent of global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.

In a statement, the EDF said: "Currently, ocean-going vessels are subject only to weak international emissions standards. The clean air standards that apply to these high-polluting engines have lagged behind other major source categories in the transportation sector. Without strong regulations, pollution from these high-emitting engines will increase."

EDF’s new report also examines pollution in the ports of the Lower Mississippi, Seattle/Tacoma, Los Angeles/Long Beach, New York/New Jersey, and the Great Lakes.

In addition, the report recommends establishing protective limits on pollution around America’s coasts through cleaner fuel standards, addressing global warming pollution from ships, and taking actions to reduce or eliminate emissions from ships that are near or in ports by cutting idling emissions when these ships are at dock.