Ferries blamed for extreme levels of C02

Published Date: 20 February 2009

By JOHN ROSS

FERRIES are spewing out 1,600 tonnes of harmful carbon dioxide a year in Scotland – almost 16 per cent of all emissions in the Highlands and Islands, it was claimed yesterday.
Inefficient design and long journeys mean ferries emit more greenhouse gases per unit carried than other forms of transport, according to consultant Roy Pedersen."This is an extremely high figure bearing in mind the tiny proportion of the total of passenger or 'tonne miles' accounted for by ferries and is attributable to the inefficient design of many of Scotland's ferries operating on unnecessarily long routes," he said. "To make matters worse, many Scottish ferries burn high sulphur fuel which, in addition to C02, causes emission of nasty nitrous and sulphurous oxides."Mr Pedersen, who is also a Highland councillor, makes the claim in a briefing paper which has been sent to the Scottish Government as part of the ferries review.He added: "It has recently been estimated that by adopting more efficient proven designs of ferries, such as medium-speed catamarans, with a high capacity to fuel-burn ratio, the total emissions and fuel costs of the Scottish ferry fleet could be at least halved while actually increasing capacity and service quality."He said the state-funded NorthLink Hamnavoe ferry, which plies the 28-mile route between Stromness in Orkney and Scrabster in Caithness, carries an average of 20 cars per crossing and very little commercial traffic.The vessel, he said, consumes 1,830 litres of sulphurous fuel per hour – or 2,700 litres for the one and a half hour passage: "This equates to one gallon of fuel per car per mile. That is some 40 times the consumption of a car travelling the same distance."By comparison, he said the new fuel-efficient, medium-speed catamaran Pentalina, soon to be operated by the private and unsubsidised company, Pentland Ferries, on a 15-mile route between St Margaret's Hope in Orkney and Gills Bay in Caithness, will burn 500 litres of clean fuel per hour for the hour-long passage.He added: "Reduction of transport emissions is a Scottish Government priority. Disproportionate emissions by ferries on Scottish routes can be radically reduced."He suggests using vessels with low emission/high capacity characteristics and selecting the shortest feasible sea routes to minimise unit emissions per crossing. "By adopting these principles, it has been estimated that overall emissions (and fuel bills] by Scottish ferries can be halved, while economic and social conditions in our island communities can be greatly improved."A Caledonian MacBrayne spokesman said: "Issues such as the fuel efficiency of ferries and their environmental impact is being covered by the Scottish Government's ferry review and we look forward to playing our part in that. "We are fully aware of our environmental obligations and have in place an environmental management system which helps us manage the impact of our operations on the environment, while also complying fully with relevant environmental legislation