Evaluation of environmental impact assessment factors in maritime industry.

The environmental impact of shipping industry includes the pollution caused by vessels to air and water environment. The water pollution is primarily caused by ship accidents and by untreated ballast water. To avoid maritime accidents, a complex system of regulations and safety management measures has been initiated to minimize and possibly avoid similar maritime disasters in the future. On the other hand, untreated ballast water, despite the ease of management by shipping companies, is considered one of the greatest threats to the oceans internationally and one of the greatest threats to biodiversity. The International Convention on the Control and Management of Ballast of Ships and Sediments, entered into force in September 2017, aims to prevent the risk of importation and the proliferation of foreign species following the discharge of untreated ballast from ships. An option to reduce this risk is to install water treatment systems on the ballast. Air pollution from ships is another concern that has great significance and impact on health and the environment. Vessels emit large amounts of pollutants into the air, mainly in the form of sulfur oxide, nitrous oxide and particulate matter, which are constantly growing and affecting humans. Vessels also produce 3% of the world's total greenhouse gas emissions such as carbon dioxide, contributing to global warming and extreme weather. From 1 January 2020, the IMO imposed a new global sulfur emission ceiling of 0.5% on fuel content, a reduction from the current limit of 3.5%. Pursuant to the previous analysis, three systems/indicators that apply to vessels are going to be assessed, based on Clarkson’s SIN Data, in order to evaluate their impact in correlation to the measure of compliance to the relevant regulations so far: • The ship must have an equipped and installed ballast treatment system. • The ship must be equipped and fitted with a special filter to reduce sulfur emissions. • The vessel must comply with Tier III regulations to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions.