The Ship Emissions Campaign targets excessive levels of smokestack pollution from ships and other vessels engaged in commercial operations in the U.S. and worldwide. These emissions lead to acid rain, global climate change, and damaging health effects to low-income communities living in the vicinity of port areas. Summary Commercial vessels represent one of the fastest growing, least-regulated sources of pollution in the United States.
Marine engines operate on dirty fuels.
This is two magnitudes of order higher than the diesel fuel used by on-road vehicles, currently capped at 500 ppm, and soon to be reduced to 15 ppm by new regulations. Category 3 vessels are fueled by bunker oil, the dirtiest and least expensive form of fuel available. As high-grade petroleum products such as jet fuel, gasoline, and diesel fuel are produced, the refining process removes undesirable chemicals. The residue from the production of these higher grade fuels is collected and sold as bunker oil. Bunker oil contains high concentrations of toxic fuel compounds banned from use in most other industrial and consumer applications.