West Sea Coast Guard Conducts Crackdown and Inspection on Ship Air Pollutant Emissions

Promoting Marine Safety and Reducing Fine Dust Emissions in Winter

The West Sea Regional Coast Guard Headquarters (Chief Lee Myungjun) announced on the 9th that it will conduct intensive inspections and crackdowns on the illegal emission of air pollutants from vessels, as the impact of fine dust on public safety is becoming increasingly serious.

Inspecting the emission control of air pollutants from ships. Provided by West Sea Regional Coast Guard.

The West Sea Coast Guard Headquarters plans to intensively inspect, until March 31, whether vessels comply with the sulfur content standards for fuel oil used on ships, as well as the statutory documents and records related to air pollutants such as sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxides, in conjunction with a special winter maritime safety crackdown.

The permissible sulfur content standard for heavy fuel oil used in ships is 0.5%, and for diesel it is 0.05% or less. In particular, Gwangyang and Yeosu ports are designated sulfur oxide emission control areas, so for international navigation vessels, the sulfur content standard is 0.1% or less, requiring special attention from maritime workers.

An official from the West Sea Coast Guard Headquarters stated, "Since the emissions of vessel air pollutants such as sulfur oxides are considerable, we will strengthen management and supervision through continuous surveys and inspections," and requested, "We also ask vessel workers to pay close attention to the management of emission facilities and vessels in accordance with relevant regulations such as the Marine Environment Management Act."