NO2 issues with cruise ships
The cruise ships that dock in Copenhagen Port emit more harmful nitrogen dioxide (NO2) than the EU’s air quality limit values allow, according to new figures from Aarhus University issued in a press release from the Department of Environmental Science. The figures are not annual limit values, but the limit for peak values for NO2. This means that cruise ships cross the limit for shorter periods. If people get too much NO2, it can cause damage to the lungs, lead to chronic asthma, respiratory infections and, in the very worst cases, premature death. While it is not dangerous to take a walk along the quayside where a cruise ship is moored, it does matter for those who live at height. It is only 25 meters up that the limit values are exceeded because the chimneys are located high up on cruise ships.
One of the areas where pollution exceeds the established limit values for short periods is Langelinie. At Langelinie, however, very few people live so high up. The vast majority of homes near the berth are four to five storeys. But in Nordhavn, where cruise ships also dock, in some cases higher buildings are built, says Anne Sofie Lansø, senior researcher at the Department of Environmental Science at Aarhus University. Unlike a car or bus, cruise ships do not turn off their engines when stationary. Therefore, the ships stand and pump out smoke even when they are stationary in the harbour. “The solution to the problem of air pollution already exists today. It is called shore power. If the ships can connect to a power source on the quay, they can turn off their engines,” says Lansø. From 2025, shore power will be installed at the berths where cruise ships dock. /ritzau/