EU policies make a difference

The study involved measuring key air quality parameters in Mediterranean harbours. To carry out the measuring, an automated monitoring station was used on the cruise ship Costa Pacifica. The European Commission’s in house Joint Research Centre (JRC) scientists carried out the study entitled Impact of a European directive on ship emissions on air quality in Mediterranean harbours, before and after the entry of low-sulphur requirements in January 2010.

Tthe Costa Pacifica followed a fixed weekly route in the Western Mediterranean during 2009 and 2010.The study found that in EU harbours Civitavecchia, Savona, Barcelona and Palma de Mallorca, sulphur dioxide levels had fallen by 66% on average.

Measurements were also taken in the port of Tunis, where EU policies do not apply. Findings showed that sulphur levels stayed the same – indicating that decreases in sulphur dioxide are a direct result of the application of EU requirements.