'The Environment Council has agreed to reduce ships' SO2 emissions in the EU by over 500,000 tonnes every year from 2007, to the benefit of human health and the environment', the European Commission said in a statement. A Commission spokeswoman said operating costs for ship owners would increase 3% overall, including the more expensive oil. 'If you use lower sulphur fuel, you have to adjust your engines', she said, adding that the cost of such adjustments would depend on the age and condition of the ship.

Marine fuel has a maximum sulphur content of 5% or 50,000 parts per million (ppm), the Commission said, compared to the far lower level for petrol in cars, which will be 10ppm from 2007. Aimed at lowering sulphur levels in marine fuel used in the EU, the proposal stipulates a 1.5% sulphur limit for all sea-going vessels in the North Sea, the English Channel and the Baltic, areas where SO2 contributes to the acid rain which damages forests and lakes in the Nordic region. The same limit would apply to passenger ships travelling between ports within the EU from May 2006.

The deadline for the Baltic is also 2006, while for the North Sea and the Channel it is later in 2007.

Ministers agreed to a stricter 0.1% sulphur limit to be imposed on ships while at berth in EU ports from January 2010 in order to reduce SO2 and harmful particles in populated areas where the emissions can contribute to serious respiratory illness. The proposals are seen as helpful to people who suffer from asthma, bronchitis and heart disease.

MJ Information No: 20054