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Friday, February 25, 2000
Kvaerner
Philadelphia chief resigns
Harald Rafdal has resigned as president and chief executive of
the Kvaerner Philadelphia Shipyard.Rafdal has overseen development
of the shipyard since 1997, and a new CEO will be chosen to manage
the facility as actual shipbuilding begins. This is now scheduled
to start April 1.
Meantime, efforts continue to sell the
yard in line with Kaverner Group's decision to quit shipbuilding.
The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that Norway's Aker RGI is a
strong contender. This might make sense as part of a package
that would include Kvaerner Warnowerft in eastern Germany, since
Aker Maritime owns neighboring Aker MTW. However, another possible
purchaser for Kvaerner Philadelphia, is Singapore Technologies
Marine, a unit of Singapore Technologies Engineering Ltd.,It
appears to have the support of Rep. Curt Weldon (R., Pa.) and
Rep. Robert Brady (D., Pa.) .
Environmentalists
sue to force EPA to regulate
emissions from seagoing ships
A lawsuit filed in U.S.Circuit Court yesterday seeks to compel
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to create strong emission
standards for
large sea-going vessels that impose a significant smog burden
on U.S .port cities, including: Seattle, Oakland, Los Angeles,
Houston, New
Orleans, Miami, Baltimore, New York/New Jersey and Boston.
According to EPA, says a statement from
Bluewater Network, those vessels belch 273 thousand tons per
year (NOx) into U.S. air. Yesterday's lawsuit was filed on behalf
of the Bluewater Network,by Earthjustice Legal Defense Fund.
It challenges EPA's failure to set any standard for NOx emissions.
"Large ships cause tremendous pollution
both in port and at sea," said Russell Long, Executive Director,
Bluewater Network. "This leads to increased urban smog,
health problems for low-income people living near port facilities,
and severe climate change effects. Simply by regulating ship
fuels - the dirtiest in the world - EPA would have helped the
environment. The fact that they did nothing is inexcusable,"
The Bluewater Network says that the Clean
Air Act requires EPA to establish regulations to reduce air pollution
from non-automobile engines that significantly contribute to
pollution in areas with poor air quality. Based on a 1991 study,
says the environmentalist group, EPA determined that the largest
type of ship engines - called "Category 3" engines
- were a "substantial" contributor of important pollutants,
including NOx and particulate matter.
EPA claims it does not need to regulate
these engines since Annex VI to the International Convention
on the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) limits NOx
emissions. However, Bluewater Network argues that, "as [it}
made clear to EPA before the rule was finalized, Annex VI is
not an enforceable agreement and is unlikely to be anytime soon.
The agreement will only go into effect when countries responsible
for at least 50 percent of the world's shipping traffic ratify
the treaty. So far only two nations have done so, and they represent
only 5 percent of the world shipping. Although the United States
has signed Annex VI, the Clinton administration has not even
asked the Senate for the necessary permission to ratify it."
"EPA's refusal to regulate emissions
from these ships is not only illegal, it places an unnecessary
obstacle in the way of efforts to improve U.S. air quality,"
said Martin Wagner, attorney for Earthjustice Legal Defense Fund.
"While cities work to clean up land-based pollution sources
and Californians take their vehicles in for smog checks, unregulated
cargo ships, tankers, and cruise ships keep belching pollution
into our cities. An unenforceable international treaty does not
allow EPA to abandon its responsibility to regulate pollution
in the United States."
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