IMO MEPC adopts new Emission Control Areas, considers mid-term GHG measures
5 October 2024
The International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) held its 82nd session (MPEC 82) in London from 30 September to 4 October 2024.
The key outcomes related to ship emission control were:
- Adoption of amendments to MARPOL Annex VI to give effect to the Canadian Arctic and Norwegian Sea Emission Control Areas (ECA).
- Progression of regulatory text on mid-term GHG measures for the reduction of GHG emissions from ships.
The Canadian Arctic ECA will require IMO Tier III NOx compliance for ships with marine diesel engines with a power output of more than 130 kW, constructed after 1 January 2025. The Norwegian Sea ECA will impose Tier III NOx requirements for ships constructed after 1 March 2026.
For both ECAs, the sulfur content of the fuel used on board all ships is to be no more than 0.10% m/m. This will apply to ships operating within the ECA 12 months after the regulations enter into force. As the entry into force date of the amendments was determined as 1 March 2026, the sulfur requirements will take practical effect from 1 March 2027.
MEPC 82 was preceded by the 17th session of the Intersessional GHG Working Group (ISWG-GHG 17), which considered several candidate mid-term measures re-framed as the ‘IMO Net-Zero Framework’ for agreement at MEPC 83 in April 2025.
The framework sets out a new MARPOL Annex VI “Chapter 5 – Regulations on the IMO net-zero framework”, which will include sub-chapters on (1) goal-based marine fuel standard regulating the phased reduction of the marine fuel’s GHG intensity, and (2) economic mechanisms to incentivize the transition to net-zero.
Several specific proposals have been considered. The proposed economic measures included a variety of fees and financial rewards related to the ship’s GHG emissions. Fees on the order of $100 - $150 per tonne of emitted CO2 have been considered, while, under some proposals, ships using eligible fuels would receive $100 per tonne of CO2e prevented.
Several other topics were also discussed at the meeting:
- MEPC considered the harmonization of rules and guidance on the discharge water from scrubbers (EGCS) into the aquatic environment. There has been an ongoing discussion related to a prohibition or other restrictions on EGCS washwater discharge in ports and territorial waters.
- MEPC agreed to progress the review of the annual operational carbon intensity indicator (CII). A series of “challenges and gaps” in the CII metric have been identified for further consideration.
- MEPC approved amendments to MARPOL Annex VI and the NOx Technical Code (NTC) concerning the use of multiple engine operational profiles and auxiliary control devices (ACD) on marine engines.
Source: Lloyd’s Register