APS and Cetesb join forces to inspect smoke emissions at Port of Santos

The Port Authority of Santos (APS), along with the Environmental Company of the State of São Paulo (Cetesb), conducted a joint inspection on Tuesday (12) to check for smoke emissions from trucks at the Port of Santos. The activity is known as Operation “ControlAr.” Gas emissions coming out of 355 trucks were analyzed, of which 17 will be fined for not meeting the colorimetric standard of the Ringelmann method (which measures the degree of darkening of the smoke).

The action occurred in the Paquetá neighborhood, on the right bank of the port. Inspections were carried out on moving vehicles (observing the color of emissions) and on stationary trucks, in this case, using measurement equipment on moving engines (opacity test). In one instance, a vehicle showed irregularities and was notified by Cetesb to rectify its system.

The inspection aims to educate vehicle owners to keep their engines in compliance with gas emission standards, thus improving air quality at the port.

In addition to measuring gas emissions, inspection teams also provided guidance to drivers, distributing educational pamphlets and engaging in direct conversations about the importance of keeping their trucks well-maintained through regular vehicle maintenance to prevent air quality issues.

In addition to the goals of Operation RegulAR, the port authority’s inspection team also identified specific problems related to port operations. One vehicle will be fined for cargo spillage on the road, and two port terminals will be fined for inefficient cleaning of vehicle bodies.

The operation results demonstrate that about 5% of the vehicles had black smoke emissions above the legal standards. This indicates that most vehicles circulating in the Port of Santos comply with acceptable limits for atmospheric emissions.

This high level of compliance results from public policies that have, over the years, demanded increasingly lower emission standards for diesel vehicles nationwide. As a result, the average age of the truck fleet in circulation at the Port of Santos decreases each year, making it less polluting.

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