Researchers Question Ship Sulfur Emission Numbers
Researchers last week claimed that sulfur emissions from cargo ships are causing ocean and coastal pollution and affecting scientific understanding of global climate change. Scientists at Carnegie Mellon University in Pennsylvania and Duke University in North Carolina said in a letter to the science journal Nature that ships are spewing more sulfur from their funnels than previously suspected which could be an important factor in solving the puzzle of global warming. "You've got to consider ships explicitly if you are going to understand ocean chemistry which is a foundation for understanding atmospheric chemistry and climate change," said James Corbett, an engineer at Carnegie Mellon. In some coastal regions ships also have a significant impact on air quality, he added.
Playing by the (new) Rules
The increased focused on emission of all types is hardly news to shipowners and marine propulsion suppliers. For decades, entities from individual groups to international policymakers continuously changed the manner in ships and boats are operated. But today perhaps more than ever before, scrutiny of emissions from ships and boats has never been more intense, or as critical in the development, design and marketing of marine propulsion equipment. Diesel engine manufacturers, for example, are spending a good percentage of their sizable R&D budgets dedicated to ensuring their engines are not only compliant with ever-tightening emissions rules and regulations, but to ensure that these same "new" engines operate as reliably and efficiently under the new operating realm.
