By
Adam Lawrence |
Ferry operators in the UK are facing service cuts and route closures while the public could see increased prices and greater road congestion due to the introduction of new air pollution rules.
Ferry companies including Brittany Ferries, DFDS Seaways, P&O Ferries and Stena Line say the new rules will have far reaching implications. Fuel costs will increase by up to 87 per cent and ferry services on the English Channel, North Sea and in the Baltic face closure – with the unintended consequence of forcing thousands of lorries back onto the roads instead. They also warn of the threat to seafaring and port jobs if ferry services close down.
The International Maritime Organisation and EU member states want ships to burn fuel with a low 0.1 per cent sulphur content from 2015 instead of the one per cent sulphur content in use today in the designated North West European Emissions Control Area.
Emissions control for ferries was to be discussed at a meeting of the House of Commons Transport Select Committee this week. “While we fully support the good and green intentions of the changes, we are having to tell the Transport Select Committee that the proposals are unrealistic both on grounds of cost and in the time available to us,” said William Gibbons, director of the Passenger Shipping Association.
“We are being told that there is no incentive for the oil companies to invest in refining facilities to manufacture the fuel we need as they can make bigger profits elsewhere. That forces us to look at other fuel solutions such as liquefied natural gas (LNG) but there is no supply chain in place and this is likely only to be viable for new ships from 2020. The only technical alternative is to fit ships with sulphur scrubbing abatement technology but this, after years of trials and development, is still not ready for commercial roll-out and will not be a realistic alternative to ultra low sulphur fuel by 2015.”
John Garner, fleet director of P&O Ferries, said: “The decision by the International Maritime Organisation to limit the sulphur content was not preceded by a proper impact assessment. It has become increasingly obvious that the decision has a number of unforeseen consequences which is why we and others are presenting our case to MPs tomorrow.”
Christophe Mathieu, group strategy and commercial director at Brittany Ferries, said: “Our longer routes, which have been extremely effective at moving freight off the roads as well as providing valuable links with certain outlying regions of Europe, will be particularly vulnerable to these new unrealistic measures. Our annual fuel costs will increase by tens of millions of pounds and there’s the possibility of up to 1,000 job losses in our ports and the wider community. We support these changes but need more time.”
The ferry companies are urging the UK government to bring forward a full review and impact assessment presently planned to take place three years after the new regulations are implemented.