Contributions to decrease noxious emissions and develop environmental sustainability in seafaring

Elmallah, Mamdouh (2025) Contributions to decrease noxious emissions and develop environmental sustainability in seafaring. International Journal of Science and Research Archive, 14 (3). pp. 246-252. ISSN 2582-8185

Many researchers have confirmed that gasoline is taken into consideration as the primary component that causes climate change and other environmental problems. A large chunk of the greenhouse gases (GHG) that blanket the Earth and trap the sun’s heat are generated through energy production by burning fossil fuels. A significant portion of the world's energy consumption, which rises annually, is caused by the transportation industry, especially the shipping industry. This study highlights the IMO regulations and the technological methods to develop environmental sustainability in seafaring. Nitrogen oxide (NOx) is one of the major components of shipping exhaust emissions. To adapt to expanding natural requests and environmental issues, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) applied restrictions to limit NOx emissions. Annex VI, NOx control requirements, apply to marine diesel engines with output power greater than 130 kW. According to IMO levels (Tiers), the Tier III controls apply only to the specified ships while operating in Emission Control Areas (ECAs) established to limit NOx emissions; outside such areas, the Tier II controls apply. The IMO's first limitation was named Tier I and was introduced in the year 2000. More recently, the stricter Tier III emission limitations have been introduced and constitute an essential step towards environmentally friendly maritime transportation. Tier III has strengthened the emissions standards, requiring NOx emissions in NOx ECAs to be less than 3.4 g/(kWh). New emission reduction technologies have to be developed to fulfil the Tier III limits. There are several promising technologies to achieve the required NOx reductions. This study focuses on the NOx formation and the technological methods to decrease the NOx emissions to achieve the standards of the IMO regulations.