Pearl River Delta

It’s been a busy and productive few weeks for both the shipping industry and the Hong Kong government. In his first policy address, Hong Kong Chief Executive CY Leung announced plans to introduce legislation for at-berth fuel switching during the next legislative session, continue discussions with Guangdong officials on extending fuel switching to other places in the Pearl River Delta (PRD), and for shoreside power at the new Kai Tak Cruise Terminal, scheduled to open in June.  

Finally, some data. A couple of weeks ago Civic Exchange and two Hong Kong universities released a report detailing the extent of emissions from ships in the Pearl River Delta region, and their public health impact. It’s a groundbreaking study. Using 2008 data, researchers from HKUST did a ship emissions inventory of vessels activity across the PRD. They then calculated the dispersion of the pollutants, which showed that Shenzhen and Hong Kong have the most ship emissions, ahead of other coastal PRD regions such as Zhongshan and Dongguan, and outer PRD regions, like Foshan and Huizhou.

In the 15 years since it returned to Chinese sovereignty Hong Kong has survived many uncertainties and crises but the place still lacks a sense of “staying vigilant in peace time”, in order to better prepare for future challenges. This is especially so in the case of water, a key issue that has been neglected for too long. The Dongguan–Shenzhen Water Project started to export water to HK in 1965, since when it has seldom suffered from water restrictions. In the past 30 years, HK has been able to supply water 24 hours a day and seven days a week.

It is now widely accepted around the world that shipping emissions need to be tightly regulated in order to protect public health. Various types of port-related equipment and activities, such as cargo handling machinery and trucking goods to and from ports, also generate pollution. Research shows that, in Hong Kong, the combined emissions from ships and port activity are a significant source of pollution that directly affects some 3.8 million people. The city’s shipping and port management stakeholders have been most active in working with local authorities to define a path towards tighter regulation, and have made progress in reducing emissions.

Further proof (if more were needed) that local sources are driving the decline in Hong Kong's air quality has just arrived in an official report. The 2011 Pearl River Delta Regional Air Quality Report, produced by Hong Kong's Environmental Protection Department (EPD) and the Department of Environmental Protection of Guangdong Province, shows continuous improvement of air quality in the Pearl River Delta (PRD) area.