The governance of ships’ sulphur emissions: issues of enforcement and equal treatment

Bloor, Michael, Sampson, Helen ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5857-9452, Baker, Susan ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5616-4157 and Dahlgren, Katrin 2013. The governance of ships’ sulphur emissions: issues of enforcement and equal treatment. Presented at: Seafarers International Research Centre Symposium 2013, Seafarers International Research Centre Symposium Proceedings (2013). Cardiff, UK: Seafarers International Research Centre, pp. 73-82.

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Abstract

Uncontrolled emissions from international shipping have been the single most important contributor to ‘acid rain’ in Northern Europe and have resulted in an estimated 27,000 premature deaths per annum (including deaths of retired seafarers) across Europe. Accordingly, progressive controls on sulphur levels in fuel were introduced in the Emission Control Areas of the Baltic (2006), the North Sea/English Channel (2007) and coastal North America in 2012. This paper draws on observational data from 16 Port State Control inspections in the UK and Sweden, 50 semi-structured interviews with international and national regulators, surveyors, fleet managers, industry associations, class societies, port management, bunker suppliers, trade unions, environmental NGOs and other stakeholders, and also on unpublished statistical data relating to laboratory testing of fuel samples. Although it is widely accepted that Port State Control has been a broadly effective instrument for the enforcement of international shipping regulations, at least in the Paris MoU region, enforcement of the new sulphur regulations poses a new critical challenge, since the rewards for non-compliance (in the shape of lower fuel costs) are substantial. Compliance rests in part on the perception that non-compliant competitors will be detected and sanctioned. The paper identifies several current barriers to detection of non-compliance and argues that future effective enforcement may depend on the extension of current limited programmes of fuel sampling and testing.

Item Type:	Conference or Workshop Item (Paper)
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Seafarers International Research Centre (SIRC)
Publisher:	Seafarers International Research Centre
ISBN:	1900174464
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	8 March 2024
Last Modified:	11 Nov 2024 09:00
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/167017

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