Mediterranean Sea will become a low-sulphur fuel area by 2025

The Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) of the IMO met for its 79th session in December 2022. The MEPC adopted amendments to designate the entire Mediterranean Sea as an Emission Control Area (ECA) for sulphur oxides and particulate matter, under the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL).

The limit for sulphur in fuel oil used on board ships is 0.10 mass per cent, while outside such ECAs the limit is 0.50 per cent. The expected date of entry of the amendment is 1 May 2024, and the new sulphur limit would be effective from 1 May 2025.

Contracting Parties to the so-called Barcelona Convention agreed in December 2021 to bring forward the proposal to IMO.
According to the meeting summary of MEPC – “This is the fifth designated Emission Control Area for sulphur oxides and particulate matter worldwide, the others being: the Baltic Sea area; the North Sea area; the North American area (covering designated coastal areas off the United States and Canada); and the United States Caribbean Sea area (around Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands).”

Source: IMO Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) – 79th session, 12-16 December 2022 https://www.imo.org/en/MediaCentre/MeetingSummaries/Pages/MEPC-79th-sess...

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Mediterranean Sea will become a low-sulphur fuel area by 2025

In this issue

Global warming alters plankton communities

Editorial: Need for an integrated view on oceans and climate

Mediterranean Sea will become a low-sulphur fuel area by 2025

Overcoming windpower conflicts in the Baltic Sea

The long-term goal is 1.5°C

CO₂ from the cement industry can be reduced without CCS

Measuring ozone the right way

New US standard for fine particles to be expected

Renewables are planable

Harvests from rewetted land

Carbon removal proposal – a gift to emitting industries

Flemish nitrogen breakdown

Energy savings in buildings – an untapped potential

Wind, water and solar – enough to solve the climate crisis

Greening electricity

EU is too slow on phasing-out fossil fuels in transport sector

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Food for Thought

Northern forests, climate change and the UNFCCC

EU climate targets aligned with the Paris agreement’s 1.5°C objective

Baltic Sea Offshore Wind Collaborative-Learning project

Air pollution in Europe and children’s health

Climate Change: A Himalayan Odessey

No further discussion needed. The agreed global goal is to limit temperature rise to 1.5°C

Fossil-free electricity 2021

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