Delegates to the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Marine Environment Protection Committee meeting, which took place from 1-4 December 2003 in London, agreed to amend the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships by phasing out single-hull oil tankers by 2010.

Other measures agreed to include an extended application of the Condition Assessment Scheme (CAS) for tankers and a new regulation banning the carriage of Heavy Grade Oil (HGO) in single-hull tankers (MARPOL 73/78). The amendments are expected to enter into force on 5 April 2005.
Under a revised regulation 13G of Annex I of MARPOL, the final phasing-out date for Category 1 tankers (pre-MARPOL tankers) has been brought forward to 2005 from 2007. The final phasing-out date for category 2 and 3 tankers (MARPOL tankers and smaller tankers) was brought forward to 2010, from 2015. In addition, the CAS is to be made applicable to all single-hull tankers of 15 years or older. Previously it was applicable to all Category 1 vessels continuing to trade after 2005 and all Category 2 vessels after 2010.
In order to prevent oil pollution from HGO-carrying oil tankers, delegates adopted a new MARPOL regulation that bans the carriage of HGO in single-hull tankers of 5,000 tons dwt and above after the date of entry into force, and in single-hull oil tankers of 600 tons dwt and above but less than 5,000 tons dwt, not later than the anniversary of their delivery date in 2008. Further information about this meeting is available online at: http://www.imo.org/home.asp