With more ships expected at Kai Tak, why the delay in reducing pollutants?
Wesley Lau says Hong Kong still lags behind other ports in installing onshore power facilities
A second berth at the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal is due to come into operation today, potentially doubling the amount of air pollutants being emitted.
By now, we know pollutants cause health problems to residents and increase the costs of our health care. Long before Kai Tak opened, we were pushing for action to curb air pollution from marine transport.
In 2012, the amount of sulphur dioxide released by vessels was far greater than that from vehicles and planes combined, and the amount of nitrogen oxides they emitted was equal to that from vehicles and planes combined.
One possible solution to this is to supply onshore power to ocean-going vessels. This is not new; it has been proposed to the government, which responded with pledges of action.
Officials said a feasibility study would be undertaken on the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal and completed by the middle of this year. However, the government is now saying the study will probably only be finished by the end of the year.
Does the government still care about Hongkongers' health, given that it would rather open a new berth that may double air pollution in the area instead of completing a study that could help to lower levels?
An onshore power supply is seen as a way to improve air quality in ports and nearby cities, reduce emissions of air pollutants and, to a lesser extent, carbon dioxide. If ships at berth had access to onshore electricity, they would not have to generate power onboard using diesel auxiliary engines.
To make this method a truly "zero emission option", the electricity used to power the vessels can be generated from renewable processes like solar, wind or hydro energy.
The International Maritime Organisation and its environmental protection body have already commissioned a proposal for an international standard for the design of onshore power supply for ships at quayside, for countries to follow.
The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach in the US both provide onshore power supplies. Together, the two form the fifth-busiest port in the world behind Shanghai, Singapore, Hong Kong and Shenzhen.
The port of Los Angeles sought ways to reduce rising emissions and ease the concerns of local residents and environmentalists. In June 2004, Berth 100 at its West Basin Container Terminal became the first container terminal in the world to use onshore power.
Since then, the port has become a recognised world leader in pollution control and won the Lloyd's List environmental award in 2012 for reducing its emissions by up to 75 per cent since 2005.
In 2008, the port of Long Beach opened its first berth equipped with onshore power facilities. Just this month, the emissions report for Long Beach showed that, compared with emissions levels in 2005, when it first adopted a green port policy, all the key air pollutants from port-related sources have declined.
Not only have diesel emissions dropped, but smog-forming nitrogen oxides and sulfur oxides have also been cut, by 54 per cent and 90 per cent respectively. Most encouragingly, emission levels have fallen even as shipping activity has increased, with containerised cargo up 0.3 per cent since 2005.
Pollution is now becoming a critical issue in China, too. The Ministry of Transport has included pollution control measures in the country's five-year plan to 2015.
Shenzhen released its Air Quality Enhancement Plan in September last year, which sets targets for emission control.
Further, the plan specifies that, by the end of next year, no fewer than 15 berths in Shenzhen ports will be equipped with onshore power systems, which would serve more than 15 per cent of container ships at berth. Similar facilities are expected to be ready for cruise ships by the end of this year.
This week, Shenzhen authorities announced an incentive scheme of up to 200 million yuan (HK$252 million) a year. Under the plan - due to take effect on Wednesday and last for three years - port and ship operators will be encouraged to use onshore power, as well as switch to low-sulphur fuel. The authorities will also subsidise the installation of onshore power facilities.
Thus, it's clear we lag far behind our mainland counterparts.
Here, the government has plans to redevelop Kowloon East, to include more greenery, spacious walkways and numerous low-carbon buildings. While this is a wonderful first step towards achieving a healthier low-emission environment, these are but small brushstrokes on a big canvas. The bigger problem will still exist with the high amount of emissions released from vessels that berth at Kai Tak.
The government must hasten the progress of the overdue feasibility study. Along with the revitalisation of Kowloon East, an onshore power supply needs to be introduced to reduce heavy air pollution and truly make Kowloon East, and Hong Kong, greener.
