UN Environment signed an agreement with the Abidjan Lagos Corridor Organization (ALCO) to quantify the baseline air emissions inventory for the Port of Tema in order to assist in the development of strategies for reducing particulate matter and black carbon emissions from port operations. ALCO is a sub-regional institution engaged in facilitating the free movement of persons and goods between the five countries of Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Benin and Nigeria.
A Project Inception Workshop was held on 31 August 2016 and a draft baseline Air Emissions Inventory was prepared in Q3 2016 and disseminated to stakeholders. Workshop report available from http://www.unep.org/Transport/ports/tema_inceptionworkshop.asp
Stakeholders present represented a broad range of pertinent institutions:
Ghana Maritime Authority, Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority, Ghana Shippers Authority, Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation, Ghana Environmental Protection Agency, Ghana Private Road Transport Union, National Petroleum Authority, National Union of Truck Drivers Association, National Union of Tanker Drivers Association, Energy Commission, Sunon Asogli Power Plant, Tema Oil Refinery, Volta River Authority, ALCO, Aluworks Ghana Limited, University of Ghana, Electricity Company of Ghana, Ghana Chamber of Commerce, Ghana Grid Company Limited, Ghana Railway Company Limited, Institute of Green Growth, Ministry of Transport, Ministry of Environment, Science and Innovation, Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, Ministry of Power, Ministry of Trade and Industry, National Cleaner Production Center, National Development Planning Commission, Tema Shipyard, Tema Steel Gh Limited, Volta Aluminum Ghana Limited and Department of Factories Inspectorate and Occupational Health, Ghana Cement Cement company as well as several representatives from media.
A stakeholder workshop was held in December 2016 to present the baseline air emissions inventory to key policymakers for comment and assist in the development of strategies for reducing particulate matter and black carbon emissions from port operations, incorporating international best practices. Participants comprised key policymakers from the Ghana Health Service, Ghana Environmental Protection Agency, Ghana Maritime Authority, Ghana Ports and Harbor Authority, the Ministry of Trade and Industry as well as some private sector stakeholders. A final baseline Air Emissions Inventory was prepared based on stakeholder input. See attached meeting report (click here).
The 2015 air emissions inventory accounted for emissions of:
- ocean going vessels used within 25 nautical miles of the Port of Tema
- ocean going vessels auxiliary engines used during mandatory towage in the reduced speed zone of 1.5 to 3 nautical miles from the port boundary to the break waters,
- ocean going vessels hotelling fuel-fired boilers at berth.
- harbor craft tug for mandatory towage, and
- cargo handling equipment,
The pollutants emissions calculated were:
- black carbon
- particulate matter with diameters smaller than 10 microns
- particulate matter with diameters smaller than 2.5 microns
- carbon dioxide
- methane
- sulfur dioxide and other sulfur oxides
- nitrous oxides
The data indicated that in 2015, there were 17 tonnes of black carbon emissions from the Port of Tema as well as approximately 23 tonnes of particulate matter with diameters smaller than 10 microns and 23 tonnes of particulate matter with diameters smaller than 2.5 microns. On average Ocean Going Vessels, Cargo Handling Equipment and Harbour Craft Emissions accounted for 81, 14 and 5 percent of combined particulate matter and black carbon emissions, respectively.
Based on this study, The Ghana Ports and Habours Authority has developed a program for the Port emissions monitoring as part of its commitment to reporting its environmental quality performance to the International Maritime Organization as well as international standards organization (ISO 14001). Ghana Ports and Habours Authority is currently in the process of acquiring monitoring equipment. The Ghana Environmental Protection Agency is facilitating the procurement in collaboration with the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the World Bank.
The Tema Port project will catalyze the implementation of the Ghana Ports and Habours Authority monitoring initiative at the Tema Port. Ghana Ports and Habours Authority will build on the institutional arrangement developed under this project for activity data collection, emissions factors, and the emissions inventory reporting protocol to facilitate integrating the implementation of the Emissions Reduction Strategy and Action Plan in its environmental quality monitoring of Tema Port.
The Ghana Environmental Protection Agency has also adopted the project and ready to roll it as a regular Ghana Ports air emissions monitoring and inventory program under the National Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Program of the Agency, currently supported by United States Environmental Protection Agency and the World Bank. The Ghana Environmental Protection Agency will, thus, collaborate with Ghana Ports and Habours Authority, Ghana Maritime Authority, Ghana Highways Authority, Ministry of Transport, Driver License and Vehicle Licensing Authority to replicate the project in Takoradi Port and the Jubilee Port under development in the Jubilee Oil fields in the Western Region.
The project replication will benefit from the technical and institutional capacity building of the Ghana Environmental Protection Agency under Ghana and United States collaboration to monitor and report urban air quality and health impact supported by the World Bank. The project will also enable Ghana Ports and Habours Authority report the outcome on the national climate actions tracking tool under development for reporting of mitigation and adaptation projects in Ghana. The emissions reduction performance results would be reported and uploaded onto Ghana’s Climate Hub managed by the Ghana Environmental Protection Agency as part of Ghana’s climate mitigation actions.
