In Southern California, the unintended consequences generated by the California Air Resources Board low-sulfur fuel rules have involved ships rerouting to new approaches rather than engine-performance problems. Because the California coastline between Point Conception and the Los Angeles area runs northwest to southeast, ships arriving along the great circle route tend to travel along the coast in the designated Santa Barbara Channel, an invisible highway that provides for separation between northwest- and southeast-bound traffic. But it also puts ships within 24 miles of the coast, where they are required to burn the more costly, less efficient low-sulfur fuel.

To avoid the expense and the wear-and-tear on their engines, shipmasters are rerouting further offshore into international waters and then turning toward the coast at the last minute to approach the Port of Los Angeles and Port of Long Beach.

The outside route not only puts them at more risk of collision, it also takes them right through the Point Mugu Naval Missile Range. Capt. Dick McKenna, executive director of the Southern California Marine Exchange, estimates that more than 40 percent of the ships have rerouted to escape the low-sulfur penalty. This puts them in potential conflict with the Navy testing schedule and generates concerns by the military about the state low-sulfur regulation impacting its ability to carry out its mission.

 - The Cunningham Report