International technical workshop – Sep 06, 2018

    International technical workshop

    REMPEC attended the International technical workshop "Data, trends, impacts and benefits associated with the creation of an emission control area by vessels in the Mediterranean" (6-7 September 2018, Marseille, France) co-organized by the French Ministry of Ecological and Solidarity Transition and Plan Bleu.

    REMPEC introduced the Mediterranean cooperative approach carried out in the framework of Specific Objective 15 of the Regional Strategy for the Prevention and Response to Marine Pollution from Ships (2016-2021), through the sulphur oxides (SOx) Emission Control Area (ECA) Technical Committee of Experts, which so far is represented by 19 Mediterranean coastal States and the EU.

    The Centre presented the objectives and expected content of the technical and feasibility study to examine the possibility of designating the Mediterranean Sea or parts thereof as SOx ECA(s) under Annex VI MARPOL, which was mandated in 2017 by the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention and provided an overview of relevant decision-making meetings of regional and international governing bodies. REMPEC’s presentation can be downloaded from this link.

    Protected by ECAs in the North Sea, France took the initiative, in 2017, to carry out and finance a study on the possibility of setting up an ECA zone in the Mediterranean under Annex VI to MARPOL. The methodology and the initial results of the study evaluating the impact of different scenarios, were introduced during the International technical workshop. 

    The Meeting was attended by representative from (14) fourteen out of (21) twenty-one Contracting Parties (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, EU, France, Greece, Israel, Libya, Slovenia, Monaco, Montenegro, Spain, Tunisia and Türkiye), Plan Bleu and REMPEC, as well as representative from the Netherlands, local community, NGOs, the French Shipping industry, etc. 

    Participants attending the event.Figures from the top left to the bottom right:

    • Ms. Catherine Ratsivalaka, CEREMA. Methodological approach chosen to analyse maritime traffic. Constitution of the datasets for the emissions model.
    • Ms. Laurence Rouil, INERIS, Chronic Risks Department, in charge of the Environmental Modelling and Decision Pole. Presentation by INERIS of the final modelling results, simulation of air pollutant concentrations and impact assessment of the measures.
    • M. Gabino Gonzalez, Head of office, REMPEC. Presentation of the study led by the SOx Experts members of the Technical Committee and REMPEC regarding to the possibility of designating the Mediterranean Sea, in whole or in part, as a SOx emission control area under the MARPOL Convention Annex VI. REMPEC presented also the calendar of relevant decision-making meetings of REMPEC, UNEP / MAP and IMO.