January 2015: The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has highlighted a series of eight environmental protection actions undertaken throughout 2014, including revisions to the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) Annexes on emission controls and implementation dates for cleaner engines and actions taken by its Marine Environmental Protection Committee (MEPC).

Stricter emission controls in the US Caribbean Sea Emission Control Area (ECA) for sulphur oxide (SOx), nitrogen oxide (NOx) and particulate matter came into force under MARPOL Annex VI, bringing the number of designated ECAs in effect to four globally. The US Caribbean Sea ECA is expected to result in stricter emissions controls for ships trading in waters adjacent to the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

IMO also highlighted: the entry into force of a revised MARPOL Annex III on 1 January 2014; and amendments to MARPOL Annex VI on implementation dates for Tier III standards within ECA, which apply to marine diesel engines installed on ships constructed on or after 1 January 2016 and operating in the North American ECA or US Caribbean Sea ECA.

The MEPC adopted measures to accelerate the entry into force and implementation of IMO’s Ballast Water Management (BWM) Convention, including on guidance for port State control inspections. The MEPC also adopted: ‘Updated guidelines on survey and certification of the Energy Efficiency Design Index;’ and the 2014 standard specification for shipboard incinerators, which addresses the design, performance, operation and testing of incinerators that incinerator garbage and shipboard waste.

The MEPC approved: environmental provisions for polar navigation alongside draft amendments to MARPOL to make the draft International Code for Ships Operating in Polar Waters (the Polar Code) mandatory; and the Third IMO Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Study 2014, which provides updated estimates for ships’ GHG emissions. The study estimates that international shipping resulted in the emission of 796 million tons of carbon dioxide in 2013 compared to 885 million tons in 2007, although these emissions are expected to increase through 2050 under a business as usual scenario. [IMO Press Release] [IMO MARPOL Website]