An Assessment of the Impacts of the Emission Control Area Declaration and Alternative Marine Fuel Utilization on Shipping Emissions in the Turkish Straits

The Turkish Straits are critical waterways connecting the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. About 38,552 and 43,343 ships pass through the Strait of Istanbul and Strait of Canakkale annually, respectively, and their emissions into the air pose a threat to the regional and global environment, as well as to the people of the region. Herein, the effects of the declaration of the Sea of Marmara as an emission control area and the use of alternative fuels by ships on emission formation were examined. For this purpose, the data of the ships passing through the Turkish Straits were obtained, the engine powers were calculated based on the gross registered tonnage values of these ships, and the emission values were reached. Declaring the Sea of Marmara as an emission control area provides an 80% and 76% reduction in sulfur and nitrogen oxides, respectively. Carbon emissions remained the same. The use of liquefied natural gas dramatically reduces carbon emissions. Alternative fuels, especially liquefied natural gas, effectively reduce sulfur oxide emissions. Despite these positive effects, there seem to be many years ahead of the widespread use of alternative fuels due to the lack of technical and economic infrastructure. Thus, the declaration of the Sea of Marmara as an emission control area will positively affect both the population in the region and the region's environment.