Chinese government advisor leads calls for ECAs
Shanghai: A prominent member of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), Hu Keyi, has proposed to the central government to control ship emissions by creating Emission Control Areas (ECA).
Hu, who is chief engineer and vice general manager at CSSC-affiliated Jiangnan Shipyard, said ship emissions at China’s major ports including Shanghai, Qingdao, Dalian and Shenzhen have brought serious pollution to surrounding areas. However, shipowners are reluctant to convert their vessels to more eco-friendly ones due to high costs. Hu suggests the government create the first batch of ECAs at port areas that are close to Free Trade Zones (FTZ) and some major inland river port areas.
“The FTZs should join hands to promote the ECA,” Hu remarked.
The new Tianjin Free Trade Zone is expected to start operation this month, and more FTZs are waiting for approvals including Guangdong and Fujian.
“If the local governments can offer some subsidies, it will definitely help accelerate the process,” Hu said.