Marine Pollution

Unofficial AI-generated summary based on the public title and abstract. Not an official translation.

🔬研究者:Provides a detailed regulatory timeline and technical specifics of IMO amendments, useful for tracking policy evolution in shipping decarbonization.

🏢実務担当者:Shipping companies and fuel suppliers can use this to anticipate compliance requirements and adjust operational strategies.

🏛政策担当者:Highlights the latest international shipping regulations, informing national implementation and future policy alignment.

This was another busy year for states and the international shipping community to work on marine environmental protection in the context of marine pollution from vessels. The developments on this issue happened under the auspice of the International Maritime Organization (IMO)—particularly, its Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC). This period covered two important MEPC sessions—that is, the eighty-first and eighty-second sessions, held on 18–22 March and 30 September–4 October, respectively. Each session took place in both in-person and hybrid capabilities mode. The reach of MEPC works for vessel source pollution has become much wider in scope due to different pressing demands and circumstances surrounding the shipping industry. In this report, the meetings concentrated on the works relating to: (i) the 1973 International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL), as modified by the 1978 Protocol; (ii) Energy Efficiency, Climate Change and Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions; (iii) the 2004 International Convention for the Control and Management of Ship’s Ballast Water and Sediments (BWM Convention); and (iv) Other Developments Relating to Vessel Source Pollution. Developments under the MARPOL Convention mainly involved regulations concerning air pollution from ships. At the eighty-first MEPC session, amendments and guidelines were adopted concerning MARPOL Annex VI. The amendment to MARPOL Annex VI was adopted by Resolution MEPC.385(81) on Amendment to the Annex of the Protocol of 1997 to Amend the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, 1973, as modified by the Protocol 1978 relating thereto: Amendments to MARPOL Annex VI. Also, the Guidelines as required by Regulation 13.2.2 of MARPOL Annex VI in respect of Non-Identical Replacement Engines not Required to Meet the Tier III Limit were adopted by Resolution MEPC.386(81). In the former, the amendment concerns ‘[l]ow-flashpoint fuels and other fuel oil-related issues, marine diesel engine replacing a steam system, accessibility of data and inclusion of data on transport work, and enhanced granularity in the IMO Ship Fuel Consumption Database (IMO DCS).’ Of significance from this resolution is the amendment to Regulation 13 of MARPOL Annex VI. It deals with two situations: first, ‘the major conversion involving the replacement of a marine diesel engine with a non-identical marine diesel engine or the installation of an additional marine diesel engine’ and, second, engine replacement only. Under this amendment, the replacement of a marine diesel engine includes ‘the installation of a marine diesel engine replacing a steam system’ (MEPC.385(81), Annex, para 3). Other amendments include revisions to definitions of fuel oil, fuel oil availability and quality, definition of gas fuel, and collection and reporting of ship fuel consumption data on sharing such information with the Secretary-General of the IMO. This amendment is expected to enter into force on 1 August 2025. The amendments to MARPOL Annex VI above led to another development at the same session. This was the adoption of the Guidelines as Required by Regulation 13.2.2 of MARPOL Annex VI in Respect of Non-Identical Replacement Engines not Required to Meet the Tier III Limit’ by Resolution MEPC.386(81). This guideline supports the above amendment in the case of the replacement engine and it provides the standards referred to in Regulation 13 of MARPOL Annex VI applicable to such activity, especially for ‘non-identical replacement engines not required to meet the Tier III limit’ (MEPC.386(81), Annex). Also adopted at the eighty-first session was the Amendment to the 1973 International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships as amended by the Protocol of 1987 relating thereto: Amendments to Protocol I of MARPOL by resolution MEPC.384(81). This is an amendment to the reporting procedures for the loss of containers involving harmful substances. From this amendment, the report of the loss of freight container(s) containing harmful substances shall ‘be made in accordance with the requirements on danger messages as provided for in regulations V/31 and V/32 of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, 1974.’ The expected entry into force of this amendment is 1 January 2026. Important developments continued during the eighty-second session of the MEPC. The first was an amendment to MARPOL Annex VI by resolution MEPC.392(82) on the Designation of the Canadian Arctic and the Norwegian Sea as Emission Control Areas for Nitrogen Oxides, Sulphur Oxides, and Particulate Matter, as appropriate. From 1 March 2026, the designated Canadian waters under Appendix II of this Annex and designated Norwegian waters under Regulation 13.9.4 of MARPOL Annex II will be Emission Control Areas for Nitrogen Oxides, Sulphur Oxides, and Particulate Matter. In addition, three draft amendments were considered at this session, but have not been adopted by the MEPC. These include draft amendments to MARPOL Annex VI on: (i) the use of multiple engine operational profiles for a marine diesel engine including clarifying engine test cycles and clarification of entries in data reporting required by Regulations 27 and 28; (ii) the nitrogen oxide technical code 2008 on use of multiple engine operational profiles for a marine diesel engine including clarifying engine test cycle; and (iii) the nitrogen oxide technical code 2008 on certification of an engine subject to substantial modification or being certified to a tier to which the engine was not certified at the time of its installation. The eighty-second session further adopted two guidances concerning black carbon: (i) Guidance on Best Practices on Recommendatory Goal-based Control Measures to Reduce the Impact on the Arctic of Black Carbon Emissions from International Shipping and (ii) Guidelines on Recommendatory Black Carbon Emission Measurement, Monitoring and Reporting, by Resolutions MEPC.393(82) and MEPC.394(82), respectively. The former recommends to all ships to ‘assist ship operators/companies in their efforts to reduce black carbon emissions from their ships operating in or near the Arctic in measurable and concrete ways’ (MEPC.393(82), Annex at para 1), whereas the latter provides ‘recommendations for the measurement, monitoring, and reporting of Black Carbon emissions data from marine diesel engines or exhaust gas treatment systems.’ It aims to ‘enhance the development of recommendations and regulations to reduce the impact on the Arctic of Black Carbon emissions’ (MEPC.394(82), Annex at para 1). It should be noted that all developments in this section also contribute to tackling climate change and GHG emissions, which will be discussed in the section below. Closely related to the amendment to MARPOL Annex VI are issues concerning Energy Efficiency, Climate change, and GHG Emissions. Continuing from work since 2023, there have been developments in these areas and they will be discussed in turn. In regard to Energy Efficiency activities, there were developments on the Ship Energy Efficiency Management Plan (SEEMP), carbon intensity, and Energy Efficiency Existing Ship Index (EEXI). First, this was an amendment to the Guidelines for the Ship Energy Efficiency Management Plan (SEEMP Guidelines). These guidelines were first adopted at the seventy-eighth session of the MEPC to assist states in preparing SEEMP as required by Regulation 26 of MARPOL Annex VI and reduce the carbon intensity of international shipping. It was amended at the eighty-first session of the MEPC (MEPC.388(81)) introducing, inter alia, consumer types and methods for determining fuel oil consumption per customer type to the guideline. At the eighty-second session, the 2024 Guidelines for the Development of a Ship Energy Efficiency Management Plan (MEPC.395(82)) were adopted, which further enhances granularity in the IMO Ship Fuel Consumption Database. To further enhance energy efficiency in international shipping, an amendment was made to the 2022 Guidelines for Administration Verification of Ship Fuel Oil Consumption Data and Operational Carbon Intensity (MEPC.348(78)). This was done by resolution MEPC.389(81), to revise a part of the verification of the reported data procedure that clarified including ‘other data’ to be a part of an additional document for the assessment of the Data Collection Plan. The new table of the collected data summaries is now introduced in Appendix 2 of the Guidelines. In addition, the 2021 Guidelines on the Shaft/engine Power Limitation System to Comply with the EEXI Requirements and Use of a Power Reserve (MEPC.335(76)) was amended by resolution MEPC.390(81). The guidelines aim to provide technical and operational conditions that the Overridable Shaft Power Limitation system and the Overridable Engine Power Limitation system ‘should satisfy in complying with the EEXI requirements and in using a power reserve for existing ships.’ The amendment was made to the technical requirements—that is, the main arrangements of these two systems. It also clarifies paragraph 3.3 of the guidelines to distinguish the use of the power from the precautionary un-limiting of a shaft or engine power limitation system. For climate change and GHG emissions, in addition to what was illustrated in the above section, the MEPC also adopted the 2024 Guidelines on Life Cycle GHG Intensity of Marine Fuels (2024 LCA Guidelines) (MPEC.391(81)) at its eighty-first session. This will replace the 2023 version adopted by resolution MPEC.376(80) at the previous session. It addresses the life cycle assessment of ship fuels from the production to the end use by a ship. The 2024 LCA Guidelines cover life cycle fuel calculation for ‘well-to-tank (WtT), tank-to-wake (TtW), and well-to-wake (WtW) GHG intensity and sustainability themes/aspects related to marine fuels/energy carriers (for example, electricity for shore power) used for ship propuls

• openalex https://doi.org/10.1093/yiel/yvaf015first seen 2026-08-02 18:53:28