IMO Adopts World’s Largest Emission Control Area and Other Issues at MPEC
While much of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MPEC 84) was bogged down with political positioning and stalling tactics, the International Maritime Organization (IMO), however, reports decisions on a number of key initiatives, including the North-East Atlantic Control Area (ECA) as well as efforts on plastics and ballast water. The new Atlantic ECA is being billed as the world’s largest emission control area, extending the efforts in Northern Europe with a far broader reach.
The efforts for the ECA had begun with 27 EU member states and had been gaining support as it moved through the process at the IMO. Iceland, the United Kingdom, and the European Commission also endorsed the launch of the ECA, which was formalized during this week’s MPEC session.
The entry into force date was set as September 1, 2027, with the ECA taking effect 12 months later in 2028. It covers an area extending 200 nautical miles into the ocean and a region spanning from Greenland, Iceland, the Faroe Islands in the north, to encompass Ireland, the mainland of the United Kingdom, France, Spain, and Portugal. It will also link the existing ECAs in the Baltic, North Sea, and Mediterranean and connect them with the recently approved ECAs in the Norwegian Sea and Canadian Arctic.
The adoption introduces stricter emission limits on nitrogen oxides (NOx) and sulfur oxides (SOx) as well as particulate matter. According to the IMO, ships within the ECA will have to use fuel with a sulfur content of no more than 0.10 percent.
The other key initiatives adopted by MPEC include a strategy and action plan to address marine plastic litter from ships. It focuses on work to improve port reception facilities and waste processing. It updates and supersedes earlier actions in 2021 and 2025.
The focus on plastics also extends to a code for transporting plastic pellets (i.e. nurdles). They have become a key focus after several high-profile incidents where they were released into the environment. The committee agreed to develop a mandatory code governing the maritime transport of plastic pellets in freight containers.
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MPEC also adopted a package of amendments to the Ballast Water Management Convention. The guidelines were revised along with the requirements for the development of ballast water management plans.
Work was also advanced on underwater radiated noise. MPEC agreed in principle to extend the experience-building phase by two years to the end of 2028. The aim is to address the barriers member states face in applying the guidelines that had previously been adopted for reducing underwater noise from shipping that is harmful to marine life.
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