The Port of Singapore is co-responsible for environmental pollution produced in various areas of the Earth. This is what the International Council on Clean Transportation claims in a report which points out that the port of call sells 35 million tonnes of marine fuels each year to refuel large merchant ships operating along the major shipping routes.
In 2019, these sales indirectly produced a significant amount of particulate matter (PM2.5). The Asian port contributed 42% of the PM2.5 emissions produced globally by ships deployed along major Southeast Asian routes.
As the map shows, the blue areas (those most polluted) are located in the South China Sea, the Indian Ocean, and throughout Oceania. Among the most affected regions are Malaysia (37 % of particulate emissions caused by fuel burned by ships bunkering in the port of Singapore), Vietnam (30%) Sri Lanka (25 %), Indonesia (23 %), and India (22 %).
Singapore is also significantly responsible for the amount of air pollution produced by ships burning fuel sold from the Asian port and employed on transpacific voyages to North and South America. While in Europe, where other specialized bunkering hubs are available (such as Rotterdam), the Asian port of call has only a minor responsibility.
Translation by Giles Foster
