Monitoring misses the boats

THE station that monitors cruise-ship emissions in Hobart’s Port was out of action on the day two massive vessels docked in the port — the biggest day in the city’s cruise ship history.

On Tuesday, the Pacific Eden and the Ovation of the Seas were berthed in Hobart’s port — bringing more than 8000 passengers and crew into the city — the biggest cruise ship visit on record. But the monitoring station — installed earlier this year — which provides a live reporting system on the sulphur dioxide emissions from cruise ships in the port did not record just what impact the presence of the two massive vessels had on Hobart air pollution.

An Environment Protection Authority spokeswoman said it was because the station had been knocked offline from Sunday to Tuesday after heavy rain.

“The data recording failure was because the power to the monitoring station was tripped out on Sunday morning due to water ingress into the electrics,” she said.

Today, the Silver Shadow will berth in Hobart’s waters, and be greeted by a protest at 11am at Mawsons Place calling on the State Government to issue the same fuel restrictions for cruise ships in Hobart as in Sydney Harbour.

Despite the Senate calling on the Federal Government to set a cap of 0.1 per cent for fueloil sulphur content for bunker fuel while cruise ships are berthed in Hobart’s waters following a Hobart City Council decision, Federal Infrastructure and Transport Minister Darren Chester has said it is up to the State Government to take the lead on the issue.

Hobart alderman Helen Burnet — who moved the original motion for the cap — said the Silver Shadow had an “F Rating” for emissions, showing that a cap was needed.

“It’s easy, what is so difficult about this one,” she said.

Environment Minister Elise Archer said the sulphur dioxide levels for Hobart this season were well below both the national daily and hourly standards and, in 2020, a 0.5 per cent cap would be introduced internationally.