Ocean-Going Vessels At Berth Regulation
The purpose of the 2020 At Berth Regulation is to increase emissions reductions from ocean-going vessels ('vessels") while they are docked at California ports.
More about this program
New At Berth Regulation Implementation
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) granted CARB’s authorization request for the 2020 At Berth Regulation. The authorization has been published in the Federal Register on October 20, 2023.
Each vessel visit to a regulated California port or marine terminal must use a CARB Approved Emission Control Strategy (CAECS) to control emissions for the duration of the visit, unless the visit qualifies for an exception or an alternative compliance option is used. Compliance start dates for per-visit emissions control requirements are listed in the table below, by vessel type.
| Compliance Start Date for Emission Control Requirements | Vessel Type |
| January 1, 2023 | Container, reefer, cruise vessels (for visits to all regulated terminals) |
| January 1, 2025 | Roll-on-roll-off vessels (for visits to all regulated terminals) Tanker vessels (for visits to regulated terminals at Port of Los Angeles or Port of Long Beach) |
| January 1, 2027 | Tanker vessels (for visits to all regulated terminals) |
For a current list of approved emissions control strategies and pending test plans, see CAECS Executive Orders and Test Plan Approval Letters. For details on the compliance strategies that ports and terminals are pursuing, see Port and Terminal Plans.
Alternative compliance options include Vessel Incident Events (VIEs), Terminal Incident Events (TIEs), Innovative Concepts, and Remediation Fund. These options provide regulated entities a potential compliance pathway when emissions at berth are not reduced as required due to various circumstances, such as delays in installing emissions control equipment or an inability to connect to already installed equipment.
Visit reporting is required for all vessel types, regardless of whether a vessel or terminal has emissions control requirements.Reporting templates are available for visit reporting, VIE/TIE authorization, fleet registration, and remediation requests. While use of these templates is optional, CARB staff recommends using these templates for more efficient processing.
More information is available in our Frequently Asked Questions document on general questions/applicability, as well as specifics for vessels, terminals, ports, and CAECS operators.
