PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
Inland Waterway Transport (IWT) causes considerable emissions of the air pollutants NOx and PM10. Many European regions are struggling to tackle air quality problems, though the often expensive measures implemented to meet air quality limit values are mainly directed at industry and road transport. However, it is increasingly recognised that inland shipping disproportionately contributes to the concentrations of NOx and particulate matter, and also strongly affects the air quality of areas along inland waterways and nearby inland ports. Especially in the bigger ports, the emission of NOx by inland navigation can reach up to 25% of total NOx emissions in the Netherlands. Many inland ports are situated in or close to cities, thereby directly affecting the air quality and health of populated areas. Because emissions at low height are involved, the impact on the direct surroundings is relatively high.
OBJECTIVES
The objective of LIFE CLINSH was to improve air quality in urban areas situated close to ports and inland waterways, by accelerating IWT emission reductions. It would demonstrate the environmental impact of emission reduction technologies to facilitate the implementation and enforcement of EU policy and legislation on air quality, in particular, the Clean Air Policy Package (2013) and the Air Quality Directive. Furthermore, nitrogen deposition (eutrophication) caused by ship emissions in Natura 2000 network sites close to waterways was expected to be reduced to the benefit of biodiversity. The project would help facilitate a switch to lower emission levels in inland vessels, thereby helping to green the fleet with resulting health improvements in local populations. CLINSH aimed to provide insight into the effectiveness and cost benefits of emission-reduction measures under real-life conditions, and explore the available incentives for such measures (i.e. investment readiness). The project would demonstrate measures for emission reduction in selected vessels over two years. In tandem, the project team aimed to undertake air quality modelling for different scenarios to show the impact on NOx and PM10 concentrations, a methodology that would provide input for the further development of a Clean Shipping Index (CSI). The methodology would be disseminated to policy-makers, ship owners and suppliers, and other decision-makers, and would help to improve the competitiveness of the inland navigation sector.
In addition, the project aimed to:
- Demonstrate and measure the extent to which emission reduction technologies, alternative fuels and Onshore Power Supply (OPS ) can reduce air pollutant emissions of the inland waterway fleet in real-world conditions (NOx, PM10);
- Demonstrate how emission reduction can be applied to the existing European inland water fleet (costs and benefits);
- Demonstrate the effect of various implementation scenarios on air quality; and
- Increase awareness and support among ship owners and policy-makers on cleaner inland shipping.
RESULTS
The LIFE CLINSH project carried out measures to reduce air pollution by minimising inland waterway transport, reducing emissions and using alternative fuels. It monitored the engine emissions of boats before and after adjustments to make them less polluting. The project also conducted onshore measurements of air quality in selected ports and along the river Rhine. These measurements were compiled in a database and used for modelling emission scenarios and air quality results.
The project then developed new methods for determining the NOx emissions of moving vessels and stationary vessels through onshore measurements. Through these calculations, the project demonstrated that investing in technologies to reduce emissions was cost effective. For most boats over the coming 10 to 15 years, investment in emission reduction technologies was shown to be socially optimal, although bringing boat owners on board remains a challenge.
Overall, the project demonstrated the environmental benefits of inland vessels adopting emission reduction technologies: NOx and PM emissions decreased by 25% and 69%, respectively, during the project duration.
Further information on the project can be found in the project's layman report (see "Read more" section).
