The sulphur is down but it’s all engines blazing at White Bay Cruise Terminal
Image: White Bay
BY RYAN QUINN
Leichhardt Council are outraged that ships will berth at White Bay Cruise Terminal for eight hours a day with their engines running.
The council told City Hub that the ships, docking up to 7 days a week in peak season, will cause noise and harmfully pollute the fresh air of residents on the Balmain peninsula.
Leichhardt Greens Mayor Rochelle Porteous said recommendations from last year’s parliamentary inquiry for an onshore power source at the terminal to solve the pollution had not been implemented.
“Instead of immediately implementing ship to shore power as the inquiry also recommended, residents are going to get a feasibility study that may drag on for some time while they continue to suffer unacceptable levels of noise and air pollution,” she said.
The inquiry’s recommendation for an Environmental Protection License for White Bay had also not been implemented.
However, the council praised the success of a local campaign which will force White Bay and Sydney Harbour cruise ships to use low levels of harmful sulphur fuels.
Clr Porteus said the new regulations, set to start on October 1, will begin to address air pollution issues affecting the health of Balmain peninsula residents.
“It is encouraging to see the state government taking real action to make sure that the health considerations of our residents outweigh the economic considerations of a single industry,” she said.
Particulate matter emissions, the harmful component of Sulphur fuels, were found to be the cause of approximately 60,000 global deaths annually, according to a 2007 global assessment study.
The study also linked these emissions to asthma, heart attacks, cardiopulmonary and lung cancer, and premature mortality.
A NSW Environmental Protection Agency spokesperson said that the pollution can significantly impact cardiovascular health.
“Current medical research shows that particle pollution can exacerbate existing respiratory symptoms such as asthma and chronic bronchitis, and at high concentrations cause respiratory symptoms,” the spokesperson said.
The regulations will include the Overseas Passenger Terminal at Circular Quay and the White Bay Cruise Terminal, Sydney’s two main cruise terminals.
It is set to be extended to all NSW ports by July 1, 2016.
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