An £80,000 network of air pollution monitors, funded by the Port of London Authority (PLA), has been installed to record the effect of emissions from cruise ships docking in Greenwich, UK this summer.
Installed in partnership with Breathe London and the London borough councils covering both Greenwich and Tower Hamlets, the eight monitoring stations, all located close to the Greenwich Ship Tier landing stage, will capture data 24/7 with the raw data available via the websites of both the PLA and Breathe London.
A full analysis of the results will be published in early 2020.
Supplied by Gloucestershire-based Air Monitors, thetechnology used in Greenwich mirrors that used in other major studies around the world.
Robin Mortimer, PLA CEO, said: “The data these monitors collect will give us a comprehensive understanding of the impact that the cruise ships have on air quality when they are in town.It’s crucial to have this information, so that we can address the concerns that we know are very strongly held by local residents.”
The monitors are part of the PLA’s ‘Air Quality Strategy’, published in May, 2018, the first to be produced by a UK port. Measures already implemented include a programme of retrofitting older vessels with the latest environmentally-friendly technology.
In January, 2019, the PLA also doubled to 10% its Green Tariff discount available to IMO registered vessels with an Environmental Ship Index rating of 30 or more, whose environmental performance goes over and above legal requirements.
