Trident agreed to modernize or remove 23 refrigeration equipment used on 14 vessels to use a refrigerant that does not damage the ozone layer.

Trident Seafoods agrees to invest USD 23m to prevent harmful refrigerants leakage

Trident Seafoods Corporation, one of the largest seafood processing companies in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest, has agreed to allocate up to USD 23 million to reduce the emissions of substances that damage the ozone layer coming from its vessels refrigeration equipments.

► Ozone depletion describes two related events observed since the late 1970s: a steady lowering of about four percent in the total amount of ozone in Earth's atmosphere (the ozone layer), and a much larger springtime decrease in stratospheric ozone around Earth's polar regions

This commitment is part of settlement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Department of Justice, to resolve alleged violations of the Clean Air Act.

Under the agreement, Trident will invest that amount to reduce refrigerant leaks from refrigerators and other equipment, use alternative refrigerants and improve company compliance. The company will also pay a civil penalty of USD 900,000.

“As a result of today’s settlement, Trident Seafoods will implement common-sense methods to reduce releases of ozone depleting refrigerants into the atmosphere,” said EPA Pacific Northwest Regional Administrator Chris Hladick. 

“With millions of pounds of refrigerants still in circulation in the U.S., it’s imperative that companies properly maintain and repair their appliances to ensure these don’t leak out and harm the ozone layer,” he added.

Trident uses thousands of pounds of ozone depleting substances as refrigerants within its numerous fish catching and processing vessels.

EPA accused the company of violating the Clean Air Act for not immediately repairing leaks of refrigerant R-22, a hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC) that damages the ozone layer.

Trident Seafoods has a fleet of more than 40 vessels

Trident's failures allowed its equipment to spill coolant at high speeds for thousands of days, causing more than 200,000 pounds of harmful refrigerants to be released into the atmosphere.

Trident will retrofit or retire 23 refrigeration appliances used on 14 marine vessels to use an alternative refrigerant that does not harm the ozone layer.

The company will retrofit nine of these appliances as part of a Supplemental Environmental Project. Nearly 100,000 pounds of harmful refrigerant will be removed from use, and future leaks will not damage the ozone layer.

Left: Old compressors-refrigerant systems | Right: Modern compresor-refrigerant unit

Trident will also conduct routine leak inspections of all appliances, promptly repair leaks, install leak detectors to monitor appliances for leaks, add fluorescent dye into appliances to assist staff in detecting leaks, compile information to assist in identifying common failure points on appliances, and train employees to properly manage the appliances.

The settlement sets a corporate-wide refrigerant leak cap and requires Trident to retain a 3rd-party auditor to review the company’s compliance with the consent decree and regulations.

The total estimated emission reductions from this settlement are equal to the amount from over 143,000 passenger vehicles driven in one year, the CO2 emissions from 734 million pounds of coal burned, or the carbon sequestered by over 790,000 acres of forests in one year.

The proposed settlement was lodged today in the U.S. District Court for Alaska and is subject to a 30-day public comment period and court approval.

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