Diverse changes in shipping emissions around the Western Pacific ports under the coeffect of the epidemic and fuel oil policy

Yupeng Yuan; Yan Zhang; Jingbo Mao; Guangyuan Yu; Kai Xu; Junri Zhao; Haoqi Qian; Libo Wu; Xin Yang; Yingjun Chen; Weichun Ma

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.162892

Diverse changes in shipping emissions around the Western Pacific ports under the coeffect of the epidemic and fuel oil policy

Sci Total Environ. 2023 Jun 25:879:162892. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.162892. Epub 2023 Mar 17.

Authors

Yupeng Yuan¹, Yan Zhang², Jingbo Mao³, Guangyuan Yu³, Kai Xu⁴, Junri Zhao³, Haoqi Qian⁵, Libo Wu⁵, Xin Yang⁶, Yingjun Chen³, Weichun Ma¹

Affiliations

¹ Shanghai Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Particle Pollution and Prevention (LAP3), National Observations and Research Station for Wetland Ecosystems of the Yangtze Estuary, Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China; Institute of Digitalized Sustainable Transformation, Big Data Institute, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China.
² Shanghai Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Particle Pollution and Prevention (LAP3), National Observations and Research Station for Wetland Ecosystems of the Yangtze Estuary, Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China; Institute of Digitalized Sustainable Transformation, Big Data Institute, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China; Institute of Eco-Chongming (IEC), Shanghai 200062, China; Institute of Atmospheric Science, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China. Electronic address: yan_zhang@fudan.edu.cn.
³ Shanghai Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Particle Pollution and Prevention (LAP3), National Observations and Research Station for Wetland Ecosystems of the Yangtze Estuary, Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China.
⁴ Shanghai International Shipping Institute, Shanghai Maritime University, Shanghai 200082, China.
⁵ Institute of Digitalized Sustainable Transformation, Big Data Institute, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China.
⁶ School of Environmental Science & Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, Guangdong, China.

PMID: 36934943
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.162892

Abstract

The Western Pacific Ocean (the WPO), as one of the busiest shipping areas in the world, holds a complex water traffic network. In 2020, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) low-sulfur fuel regulations were implemented globally, while the COVID-19 outbreak influenced shipping activities together. This study aimed to assess the combined impact of epidemics and low-sulfur fuel policies on ship emissions, as well as their environmental effects on the WPO. The ship emission model based on the Automatic Identification System (AIS) data was applied to analyze the monthly emission variations during 2018-2020. It was found that the epidemic had obvious diverse influences on the coastal ports in the WPO. Overall, shipping emissions declined by 15 %-30 % in the first half of 2020 compared with those in 2019 due to the COVID-19 lockdown, whereas they rebounded in the second half as a result of trade recovery. The pollutants discharged per unit of cargo by ships rose after the large-range lockdown. China's multiphase domestic emission control areas (DECAs) and the IMO global low-sulfur fuel regulation have greatly reduced SO₂ emissions from ships and caused them to "bypass and come back" to save fuel costs around emission control areas from 2018 to 2020. Based on satellite data and land-based measurements, it was found that the air quality over sea water and coastal cities has shown a positive response to changes in ship-emitted NO_x and SO₂. Our results reveal that changes in shipping emissions during typical periods, depending on their niches in the complex port traffic network, call for further efforts for cleaner fuel oils, optimized ECA and ship lane coordination in the future. Shipping related air pollutions during the later economic recovery also needs to be addressed after international scale standing-by events.

Keywords: Air quality; Epidemic; Fuel oil; Ports; Shipping emissions; Western pacific.

MeSH terms

Air Pollutants* / analysis
Air Pollution* / analysis
COVID-19* / epidemiology
Communicable Disease Control
Epidemics*
Fuel Oils*
Humans
Particulate Matter / analysis
Ships
Sulfur
Vehicle Emissions / analysis

Substances

Air Pollutants
Fuel Oils
Sulfur
Vehicle Emissions
Particulate Matter