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The California Air Resources Board (ARB) has fined two shipping companies for failing to switch to cleaner, low-sulphur fuel when sailing within 24 miles of the California coast, as required by state law.

In November 2010, the MSC Aniello, owned by the Mediterranean Shipping Company, and the vessel Wieniawski, owned by the Chipolbrok Shipping Company, both are said to have used bunker fuel 'well within' the 24-mile limit from the coast prior to docking at the port of Long Beach.

As part of their settlements with ARB, Switzerland-based Mediterranean Shipping and Poland-based Chipolbrok each agreed to pay $53,000 to the California Air Pollution Control Fund (CAPCF) to support air quality research.

“Cargo vessels can burn some of the dirtiest fuels on the planet and we need to make sure that their engine emissions don’t reach our coast,” said ARB Enforcement Chief James Ryden. “Our fuel regulation is vitally important because it requires shippers to switch to cleaner-burning fuels that help fight air pollution in our coastal regions and port communities.”

The measure, adopted in 2008, is said to eliminate 15 tonnes of diesel exhaust daily from ocean-going vessels, and is considered a vital tool in helping to reduce cancer rates and premature deaths associated with living near the state’s busy ports and trade corridors.

The ARB conducts an estimated 250 ship inspections each year, checking for proper fuel usage, record-keeping and other compliance requirements, and takes marine gas oil or marine diesel oil samples for submission to the ARB laboratory to determine if the fuels meet ARB’s low-sulphur standards.