MEPC 57 scraps Micro-SECAs but keeps scrubbers

The concept of Micro-SECAs has been dropped as work proceeded this week at the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to revise MARPOL Annex VI. It formed part of ?Option 3 Global/Regional with Micro-Area? put forward by the IMO’s Bulk Liquids and Gases (BLG) sub-committee to the 57th session of the IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 57) meeting in London this week. During plenary discussions on Monday, there was widespread opposition to the concept, which would allow for the creation of Micro Sulphur Emission Control Areas (SECAs) with a 0.10% sulphur limit.

A proposal from the United Kingdom, based on Option 3, but excluding Micro-SECAs, gained substantial support during Monday’s plenary committee meeting. Several other delegations also rejected the idea, ignoring a submission from ICS and BIMCO urging adoption of Option 3. The document from the two shipping organisations included proposed text to help expedite the introduction of Micro-SECA’s into MARPOL Annex VI.

With consensus emerging, the Chairman of the MEPC, Andreas Chrysostomou, said that the working group on Annex VI could disregard Micro-SECAs as they left the plenary to formulate a revised text for Annex VI. The Chairman overruled a motion from Greece, however, to exclude exhaust gas cleaning systems from ongoing deliberations. Greece had earlier said it could not support the UK’s proposal as it opposed the inclusion of scrubbers in MARPOL Annex VI.

The UK’s proposal said all sulphur limits could be met either through the use of lower sulphur fuel, including low sulphur fuel oil (LSFO) or distillates, or by using acceptable technological equivalents such as exhaust gas cleaning systems. The working group on Annex VI is expected to report back to the MEPC either late Thursday or early Friday this week, when it is hoped it may have arrived at a single solution for how to address sulphur emissions from ships.