CUTTING pollution from ships is the aim of a new pilot program being launched in the Yangtze River Delta, the Ministry of Transport said yesterday.

The first phase of the emission-reduction scheme, which is intended to improve air quality in Shanghai and its neighboring cities by reducing PM2.5 particles — fine particulates — by 10 percent, will begin on April 1.

According to the local transport commission, ship emissions account for 8 to 10 percent of Shanghai’s PM2.5 pollutants. Air pollution caused by ship emissions mainly results from the burning of fuel, which produces pollutants including sulfur dioxide, oxynitride, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide.