The first concrete evidence France is backing proposals for a Mediterranean-wide emissions control zone for shipping has emerged, a plan that could significantly accelerate EU action to tackle poor air quality in many of the continent’s largest cities.

In a presentation earlier this week at a shipping conference in Rome, Cécile Rafat, ship pollution prevention officer at the Directorate for Maritime Affairs – part of the French Environment Ministry – confirmed France is working on plans to establish a controlled emissions zone across the Mediterranean.

The news builds on earlier comments in support of the plan reportedly made by French Environment Minister Ségolène Royal at a conference last month.

The presentation also reveals France is preparing to test drone-based emissions monitoring for ships later this year, and is developing a fuel calculator to help determine if a ship is compliant before it enters emission-restricted waters.

The proposed zone would be based on existing regulations covering the English Channel and North Sea, which set restrictions on pollutants such as sulphur and nitrogen oxides.

As well as impacting tens of thousands of commercial ships, the proposed restrictions in the Mediterranean would affect hundreds of cruise ships, which would have to install “scrubber” technology to limit harmful emissions or switch to cleaner fuels.

Research released this week revealed nine major ports across the EU have dangerous levels of particulate pollution in breach of World Health Organisation limits. Some ports, such as Barcelona, were more than 40 times over WHO limits, according to the data collected by German NGO NABU.

France is the first EU country to publicly back plans for a new emissions zone, but any zone would need the support of other Mediterranean member states such as Spain, Greece and Malta – all of which have significant shipping industries.

However, Monaco, which is not an EU member state, has backed the plans.

The news came as the President of the Marshall Islands Hilda Heine renewed calls for the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) to set a greenhouse gas target for the shipping industry.

Shipping – along with aviation – is one of only two sectors not covered by the Paris Agreement on climate change. While the aviation sector has agreed an offsetting scheme designed to deliver ‘carbon neutral’ growth from 2020, the shipping industry has to date resisted setting any kind of carbon target, despite the sector accounting for around three per cent of global carbon emissions.

The Marshall Islands has long campaigned for an ambitious target for the industry. The tiny South Pacific nation is the world’s second-largest shipping registry in the world, but faces extinction from rising sea levels unless global warming is held to 1.5 degrees.

Talks to agree a global climate deal at the IMO will resume in July, and the IMO plans to release an interim greenhouse gas plan in 2018 with a final strategy due in 2023.

Source: Business Green