By Mark Edward Nero
The California Air Resources Board has approved a new technology by an LA-area company that uses specialized barges that connect to the exhaust ports of container ships to scrub pollution.
Advanced Cleanup Technologies Inc. can now market AMECS to vessel operators as an alternative to container ships plugging into the electrical grid to reduce emissions while at berth.
Container and cruise ships must significantly reduce at-berth emissions to meet state regulations, but the existing “shore power” option requires retrofits to each vessel. According to ACTI, the AMECS barge system can meet the state standards by removing 90 to 99 percent of harmful emissions of nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide and particulate matter without requiring vessel retrofits.
The California Air Resources Board’s approval of AMECS on container ships now allows ACTI to begin the process of testing the system on other vessel types.
In 2013, the Port of Long Beach provided about $2 million in seed money to help test the Advanced Maritime Emissions Control System, or AMECS.
“We’re thrilled any time we can find more tools to reduce emissions and continue to improve community health. That’s why we fund projects like the demonstration and testing of these new technologies, through our Technology Advancement Program,” Long Beach Harbor Commission President Lori Ann Guzmán said. “We’ve made a lot of progress in reducing air pollution, and we are nurturing new technologies like these to help us do even more.”
