From 2025, only 0,5% sulphur fuel will be used in the Mediterranean.
Broad consensus on the proposed designation of the area as a Sulphur Oxide Controlled Emission Area
At the 22nd Conference of the Parties to the Barcelona Convention, held in Antalya, the Contracting Parties agreed to submit to the IMO's Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 78), scheduled for 6–10 June 2022, the proposal for the designation of the entire Mediterranean Sea as a Sulphur Oxide Controlled Emission Area (“Med SOX ECA”), with a view to adoption at MEPC 79 (scheduled for 12–16 December 2022).
Tale The proposal It aims to prevent, reduce, and control emissions of sulfur oxides (SOX) and particulate matter (PM) from ships pursuant to Regulation 14 of Appendix III of Annex VI to the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL 73/78). This proposal is expected to enter into force on 1 January 2025.
The proposal has received broad support: Albania, Algeria, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Lebanon, Latvia, Libya, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Monaco, Montenegro, Morocco, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Syrian Arab Republic, Tunisia, Turkey and the European Commission (which has endorsed the proposal). The proposal put forward in October by the Council of the EU), which is why the proposal should not encounter opposition during the discussion at MEPC 78.
As is known, starting January 1, 2020, the sulfur limit in global maritime waters has been raised to a maximum of 0,5% (from 3,5% previously, a sevenfold reduction). In areas designated as SECAs, this limit is set at 0,10%, as has been the case since 2015 in the English Channel, the North Sea, the Baltic Sea, and along the coasts of North America.
