Press Release: In accordance with its work programme as agreed by the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention, REMPEC recently signed a contract with an international consortium led by Energy & Environmental Research Associates (EERA) to carry out a technical and feasibility study to examine the possibility of designating the Mediterranean Sea, or parts thereof, as a sulphur oxides (SOx) Emission Control Area under MARPOL Annex VI.
Amongst others, the study will assess the health benefits of further reducing the sulphur content of marine fuels for citizens living around the Mediterranean and the associated cost implications for ship owners.
The study is funded by the Mediterranean Trust Fund, the IMO’s Integrated Technical Cooperation Programme (ITCP) as well as a voluntary contribution from the Government of Italy.
REMPEC will discuss progress of the study with Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention during the upcoming Intersessional Meeting on Consistent implementation of regulation 14.1.3 of MARPOL Annex VI (the global sulphur cap – ISWG-AP) taking place from 9 to 13 July at the IMO Headquarters.
The study should be finalised by Spring 2019 and will be presented during a future session of the IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC).
