Regional Workshop on the consistent implementation of IMO 2020 under MARPOL Annex VI and the 0.10% sulphur limit in the Mediterranean Sea Emission Control Area for Sulphur Oxides and Particulate Matter (Med SOx ECA) - Press Release – May 24, 2024

    Regional Workshop on the consistent implementation of IMO 2020 under MARPOL Annex VI and the 0.10% sulphur limit in the Mediterranean Sea Emission Control Area for Sulphur Oxides and Particulate Matter (Med SOx ECA) - Press Release

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    The 79th Session of the International Maritime Organization (IMO)’s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 79) (London, UK, 12-16 December 2022) adopted amendments to Annex VI to the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) concerning the Mediterranean Sea Emission Control Area for Sulphur Oxides and Particulate Matter (Med SOx ECA), with an expected date of entry into effective application on 1 May 2025. The Fifteenth Meeting of the Focal Points of the Regional Marine Pollution Emergency Response Centre for the Mediterranean Sea (REMPEC) (Malta, 13-15 June 2023) called upon the Secretariat (REMPEC) to provide support for the consistent implementation of the 0.10% sulphur limit under MARPOL Annex VI in the Med SOx ECA during the biennium 2024-2025.

    In this context, REMPEC, in close cooperation with IMO, organised a Regional Workshop in Malta on 22-23 May 2024, which was financed by the IMO's Integrated Technical Cooperation Programme (ITCP) and the Mediterranean Trust Fund (MTF).

    The Workshop gathered over 40 participants from 17 out of 22 Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention, as well as representatives from relevant regional and international organisations. The target audience for the Workshop were Government officials responsible for ratification, implementation and enforcement of MARPOL Annex VI. Some participants represented authorities/organisations responsible for the regulation of shipping, and other participants represented authorities/organisations in charge of issues related to the marine environment.

    Beyond raising awareness on the effective implementation and enforcement of MARPOL Annex VI and related Guidelines in the Mediterranean region, , through a series of presentations from REMPEC Consultants, as well as representatives from the IMO and the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA), the Workshop held discussions on challenges and opportunities arising from MARPOL Annex VI and the Med SOx ECA and identified the actions needed for a consistent implementation of the Med SOx ECA on 1 May 2025. Best practices, including lessons learned from other Emission Control Areas (ECAs) that were established by IMO (i.e. the Baltic Sea area; the North Sea area), were also exchanged, through presentations from REMPEC Consultants, as well as the representative from the German Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH).

    The Workshop also reviewed and approved the draft Guidance Document on the consistent implementation of the 0.10% sulphur limit under MARPOL Annex VI in the Med SOx ECA, prepared by REMPEC and financed by the voluntary contribution from the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs as well as the MTF, aimed at providing the necessary guidance to the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention with a view to ensuring consistent acceptance and implementation of MARPOL Annex VI in the Med SOx ECA.

    Furthermore, the Workshop agreed on conclusions and recommendations to be submitted to the Sixteenth Meeting of the Focal Points of REMPEC to be held in 2025.Inter alia, the Workshop:

    • emphasised the urgency of ratification, transposition into national laws, and effective implementation of MARPOL Annex VI;
    • appreciated the efforts made by Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention, which had not yet ratified MARPOL Annex VI, and urged them to complete the ratification process and effectively implement MARPOL Annex VI, as soon as possible, at least by the expected date of entry into effective application of the Med SOX ECA on 1 May 2025;
    • approved the contents of the draft Guidance Document, as amended, and called upon the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention to implement the draft Guidance Document, as amended, as appropriate, as part of their necessary preparation for the expected entry into effective application of the Med SOx ECA on 1 May 2025;
    • further urged the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention to take the necessary measures to implement the suggested actions needed for a consistent implementation of the 0.10% sulphur limit under MARPOL Annex VI in the Med SOX ECA on 1 May 2025; and
    • also requested the Secretariat to continue to provide technical assistance and capacity building, including financial support and resource mobilisation, to the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention, which so requested, to ratify and effectively implement MARPOL Annex VI, in synergy with the IMO and other relevant stakeholders, during the biennium 2024-2025.

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