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The Port of Seattle has reported 'favourable results' on the major components of the Northwest Ports Clean Air Strategy.

According to the port, initial results from the At-Berth Clean (ABC) Fuels Program, Clean Truck Program, and retrofits on cargo handling equipment show goals are either being met or exceeded, preventing tonnes of pollution from entering the local environment.

"The goal of our environmental efforts has been to reduce impacts on public health and the environment while maintaining a vibrant seaport," said Sarah Flagg, Environmental Manager at the Port of Seattle. "We worked with our partners and customers to develop a collaborative, fact-based program to reduce emissions."

"The results for 2009 bear this out. In its first year, the ABC Fuels program has exceeded expectations, preventing almost 68 metric tons of sulphur from entering our environment," Flagg said.

The At-Berth Clean Fuels (ABC Fuels) was devised by the Port of Seattle and shipping lines that call at Seattle in order to meet the goals of the Northwest Ports Clean Air Strategy, a joint effort by the Ports of Seattle, Tacoma and Vancouver (Canada) and their private sector partners to reduce maritime related air emissions.

Vessels participating in ABC Fuels agree to use low sulphur fuel (0.5% or less) in their auxiliary engines while docked in Seattle. In exchange, the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency helps defray the cost of the more expensive low sulphur fuel by providing participating vessels with $1,500 for each port call.

In August 2009, 37 ships from six container lines and one cruise line were said to be participating in ABC Fuels. Between January and August, the vessels had made 91 stops at Seattle, representing approximately 35 percent of the vessels that make frequent calls at the Port. Sulphur dioxide emissions from those vessels were said to have declined by more than 20 tonnes.

In the first annual Northwest Ports Clean Air Strategy Implementation Report, published in July 2009, 29 percemt of frequent ocean-going vessel calls (100 percemt of cruise and 7 percent of container vessels) at the Port of Seattle met or exceeded the 2010 performance measure for ocean-going vessels (OGV). The port had a total of 920 OGV calls in 2008, 755 of which were made by vessels deployed by shipping lines that call at the port five or more times per year.

100 percent of cruise vessel calls reached the 2010 OGV performance measure. Of the cruise vessel calls in 2008, 52 percent (108 out of 209) utilized shore power at the Terminal 30 Cruise Facility (Holland: 66 calls, Princess: 42 calls). The remaining 48 percent (101 of 209) of vessel calls utilized 1.5 percent sulphur fuel in diesel electric main engines while calling to the Port of Seattle to reach the 2010 performance measure.

7 percent (47 of 711) of container vessel calls reached the 2010 OGV performance measure by using 0.5% marine diesel fuel in auxiliary engines while at berth.