Hamburg Sud, Alianca pledge low-sulphur fuel use in Hong Kong

GERMANY's Hamburg Sud, and its Brazilian Alianca container line, have announced their decision to use low-sulphur marine gas oil with a sulphur content of 0.5 per cent, instead of traditional heavy fuel oil while at the berth in Hong Kong from January for all of 2011.

"Container shipping is the most environmentally friendly mode of transport worldwide, but we will not sit idle in this knowledge," said Hamburg Sud regional director Michael Britton.

"We will seek new ways of making significant cuts in the emissions of pollutants in the Pearl River Delta. We have decided to send out a signal at a transport hub like Hong Kong, because seven of our roughly 35 worldwide liner services alone call at the port here," he said.

"Together with other shipping companies, they are participating in the Fair Winds Charter initiative, which aims to sustainably improve air quality in Hong Kong and the Pearl River Delta," said the Hamburg Sud statement.

"At present - with the exception of 'emission control areas' (ECA) - a maximum sulphur content of 4.5 per cent is allowed worldwide. This also applies to ports in Asia. This limit is to be lowered to 0.5 per cent globally in 2020. On average, Hamburg Sud already operates with fuels containing less than 2.5 per cent sulphur," the statement continued.

Hamburg Sud and Alianca other participating lines in encouraging authorities in Hong Kong and Guangdong province to collaborate in efforts to establish limits on ship emissions in the region consistent with international standards.
(Source:www.schednet.com)