The proximity of large cities to ports has meant that the local populace is significantly affected by emissions from ships calling at their shores. There have been links made to ill health in port cities and continuing emissions of CO2, SOx, NOx and particulate matter (PM - which is increasingly in the spotlight) from a vessel's engines when is loading and unloading cargo. Although in most cases main engines can be turned off when in port, auxiliary engines are required to run to supply onboard power for emergency equipment, lighting, refrigeration and other processes, thereby lessening but not eliminating the effect on the local environment. Using low sulphur fuels such as LNG or fitting a scrubber may lessen the impact, but (retrofitting costs and LNG bunkering issues aside) these have high operating costs.
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