HK suffers most deaths in region from ship pollution
Sulphur dioxide emissions from vessels cost lives of at least 365 people in city, says think tank, as it calls for stricter rules on fuels
Hong Kong has suffered the most from ship emissions in the Pearl River Delta, with locals accounting for 75 per cent of deaths related to sulphur dioxide released from vessels, a think tank found.
The air quality at Kwai Chung and Tsim Sha Tsui could be worst-hit by ship pollutants, researchers behind a five-year study by Civic Exchange suggest.
The think tank, founded by Christine Loh Kung-wai, now environment undersecretary, urged the city's administration to be more proactive in tightening restrictions and to seek support from its mainland counterparts.
The city's popular ship routes were partly to blame, because some vessels passed through Hong Kong waters on the way to twin ports in Shenzhen, the group said in its report.
"With so many ships berthing at the terminal in Kwai Chung, it's like a small power plant," said Simon Ng Ka-wing, Civic Exchange's head of transport and sustainability research.
According to the Civic Exchange report, jointly issued with the University of Science and Technology and the University of Hong Kong, the city saw 385 of the 519 deaths directly related to sulphur dioxide from ship emissions in the region. The number of deaths in the inner Pearl River Delta region was 93, while that in the outer region was 42.