The Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) welcomes the approval by the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to designate the entire Mediterranean Sea as an Emission Control Area (ECA) for sulfur oxides and particulate matter.
The Committee – meeting the week of June 6, 2022 – also expressed its support for the formal appointment to be adopted during the next committee meeting to be held between December 12 and 16, 2022.
If this decision is ultimately adopted, it will come into force from January 2025 and will mean that ships will have to comply with stricter limits in terms of sulfur emissions: these must not exceed 0.10% mass/mass (m/m) compared to the limit of 0.50% m/m set for areas outside ECA.
The recent approval of the MEPC means that the Mediterranean is moving closer to becoming the fifth area in the world designated as an ECA for sulfur oxides. The other four are: the Baltic Sea area; the North Sea area; the North American area, covering certain areas of the United States and Canada; and the US Caribbean Sea area (around Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands).
According to studies by the United Nations Environment Programme / Mediterranean Action Plan Coordination Unit (UNEP/MAP), limiting sulfur emissions from ships operating in the Mediterranean to one-fifth of current levels will result in an annual drop of approximately 78.7% in sulfur oxide emissions.
“Since at least 2019, the cruise industry has supported the IMO in its efforts to establish an emissions control area in the Mediterranean under the procedures set out in Annex VI of the MARPOL Convention and we now welcome its approval,” says CLIA’s director in Spain, Alfredo Serrano.
Serrano continues: “Studies indicate that reducing sulfur oxides to one-fifth of current levels will bring considerable environmental benefits, including a 79% drop in sulfur oxide emissions and a 24% drop in particulate matter.”.
In conclusion, the CLIA director in Spain adds: “We value the diligent work carried out by the Spanish institutions and the entities involved to bring this initiative closer to becoming a reality, and we offer CLIA's collaboration to advance its implementation, a milestone in the development of more sustainable maritime transport.”.
