First three years of joint effort show significant improvement

Thanks to a joint effort that crosses not just county but country lines, maritime-related air emissions are improving in the Pacific Northwest.

The Northwest Ports Clean Air Strategy, an initiative of the ports of Tacoma, Seattle and Metro Vancouver, B.C., is a long-term, collaborative agreement to reduce emissions in the Puget Sound and Georgia air basins.

A newly released implementation report demonstrates how the agencies are meeting short- and long-term clean air goals for ships, cargo-handling equipment, rail, trucks and harbor craft.

The goals were adopted in early 2008 as part of the ground-breaking Northwest Ports Clean Air Strategy. The implementation report calls out the improvements achieved by all three ports through their cooperative relationships with customers, tenants, and air and environmental regulatory agencies.

The 2010 results mark the end of the strategy’s first milestone, showing progress in producing cleaner air for the communities that surround our harbors.

2010 results

  • Ships: 44 percent of ships calling frequently used low-sulfur fuels or electrical shore power to meet the performance measure
  • Cargo-handling equipment: 62 percent of diesel-powered equipment met the performance measure through retrofits, replacements or use of low-sulfur fuels
  • Trucks: 98 percent of drayage trucks met the measure through outreach, engine retrofits or incentive programs
  • Rail: Partner agencies replaced engines, added idle- and friction-reduction technologies and used low-sulfur fuels
  • Harbor craft: Despite technical challenges, made progress through replaced engines, shore power connections, resurfaced hulls and low-sulfur fuels
  • Administration: Made progress through conservation programs, hybrid vehicle fleets and commute-trip reductions

See result highlights for the Port of Tacoma and the Port of Seattle.

The report outlines detailed results for each port. It also outlines efforts under way to meet the more stringent 2015 standards.

Next steps include:

  • 2011 update of baseline data from a 2005 inventory of air emissions from maritime-related diesel equipment in the greater Puget Sound region, and
  • 2012 review of the strategy to incorporate lessons learned and set new goals.

For information about the Port of Seattle, contact Charla Skaggs, 206-787-3235.