
Emissions from leisure boats
New air pollution emission limits for leisure boats will apply from 2017 following their publication in the EU’s official journal in late December.
The directive covers vessels between 2.5 and 24 metres in length, including motor boats, sailing yachts and water scooters and includes stricter exhaust emissions limits (Stage II) for carbon monoxide (CO), hydrocarbons (HC) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) for spark ignition (SI) and compression ignition (CI) engines. The latter category also has limits for particulate (PM) emissions. The Stage II requirements will enter into force on 18 January 2017, but small and medium-sized enterprises making outboard SI engines with a power rating equal to or less than 15 kW have until 18 January 2020 to comply.