KOCHI: The Supreme Court judgment banning vehicles that are not compliant with Bharat Stage-IV has brought to the fore the marine pollution caused by fishing vessels using substandard engines.

At present most boats in the fishing sector are using cheap Chinese-made engines. No standards have been prescribed for these engines and most of them aren't even marine engines.

Experts say that the amendments proposed in the Kerala Marine Fisheries Regulation Act, 1980, can address these concerns. "Motor vehicles have the Bharat Stage as standard, in case of marine engines, there are called Tier 1, 2 and 3. This is very strict in case of merchant navy or trading vessels because of the International Maritime Law (IML) and Directorate General of Shipping. Hence those vessels have the standards," said Baiju M V, senior scientist and naval architect, Central Institute of Fisheries Technology (CIFT).

In 15 years, the number of Chinese-made engines being used in boats have outnumbered known brands which have better quality. Most engines used are of Tier-1 category, which is the lowest and banned in many countries. Experts said that since Indian Ocean does not have carbon control areas, there is no check on the kind of engines, fuel tanks and emissions unlike the Mediterranean waters, where standards are very strict.

Boat owners opted for larger boats with more horse power more than a decade ago after the coastal catches declined and marine catches shot up. The competition was to venture farther into the sea and get back to sell the catch first. The Chinese engines entered the market when there was relaxation in the import policy. For boat owners, the increase in consumption of fuel didn't matter as long as the catch was good.

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No clean boats on the high seas | Kochi News - Times of India - Times of India