This paper estimates NOx emissions from merchant vessels in China’s coastal region from 2015 to 2030. The results indicate that merchant vessels have become a non-negligible source of NOx emissions, and if left unchecked, will become a prominent problem in the near future.

As China tackles its air quality issues, government regulators have turned their focus to shipping, an industry that burns thousands of tons of highly polluting heavy fuel oil near densely populated coastlines every day.