Offshore service vessel contribution to the air pollution in a port city : estimation of aggregate emissions for the Port of Bergen

Abstract

The main subject of this thesis are emissions released by an offshore fleet visiting the Port of Bergen. In its first part, a problem of shipping-related pollution is introduced. It includes a description of main emission types as well as factors influencing the amount of pollution released by ships, like for example a type of fuel used by engines on board. Then, there is discussed an impact the air quality deterioration has on the environment and human health. Finally, some existing abatement solutions for vessels as well as ports’ best practices are presented. The result of the aggregation of SOx, NOx, NMVOC, CO, PM10 and PM2.5 emissions released by the fleet arriving at the port during the years 2005-2015, including 4,887 port calls, shows that for each type of emissions, the emission inventories either went up or stayed stable at fairly high levels in the last couple of years (with the exception of SOx, which since January 2015 has been strongly influenced by the new regulation on sulfur content present in marine fuel and therefore has experienced significant decrease in values). Taking into account sustained negative sentiments on the OSV market and a negative result of the comparison between the amounts of pollution ejected by offshore vessels and passenger cars travelling through the city center/port area, the findings of the study might urge the Port Authorities in Bergen to consider undertaking further actions directed towards curbing offshore vessel emissions in the near future.