California Air Resources Board

California's ports and coastal communities face ongoing air quality challenges due to emissions from ocean-going vessels (OGV). Despite existing regulations designed to reduce emissions from OGVs, OGVs are projected to be one of the largest contributors to mobile source emissions in California by 2037. Reducing both carbon and criteria pollutant emissions from OGVs are critical to helping California improve public health, meet federal air quality standards, and California’s climate change goals. Most importantly, communities near California’s port complexes, many of which are disadvantaged, continue to bear a disproportionate health burden due to their close proximity to the ports. It is imperative that CARB takes additional steps to reduce this harm and improve public health in these regions.    

CARB has two existing regulations – the OGV At Berth and Vessel Fuel Regulation - that target oxides of nitrogen (NOx), particulate matter (PM), and sulfur oxide (SOx) emissions, with greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions as a co-benefit. In December 2022, CARB released the Interim Evaluation Report as part of the At Berth Regulation that highlighted the need to reduce emissions from OGVs, particularly during transiting, maneuvering, and anchoring in and around California's ports and marine terminals. These “in-transit” emissions make up around 95 percent of the emissions from OGVs and are a substantial contributor to NOx and PM levels.

While the International Maritime Organization (IMO) is considering future international regulations that target GHG reductions from OGVs, these measures do not sufficiently address the additional reduction of toxic and criteria pollutants that California urgently needs. Achieving reductions in these pollutants, especially NOx, is essential for the South Coast Air Basin to reach its air quality goals. In the 2022 State SIP Strategy, reducing emissions from OGVs beyond the reductions achieved with the At-Berth Regulation was a key component in the State’s plan to reduce emissions and meet attainment of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards.   

Given the urgent need for improvements in air quality, CARB is pursuing efforts to achieve further reductions in NOx, PM, reactive organic gases (ROG), and GHG emissions from OGVs. CARB is currently exploring potential measures (both regulatory and voluntary) that could achieve additional emissions reductions from OGVs while in-transit, maneuvering and at anchor in California waters.