Mediterranean Sea to become ECA from 1 May 2025

Big changes are coming to the Mediterranean Sea in 2025.

During the Marine Environment Protection Committee’s (MEPC) 79th session, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) decided to designate the Mediterranean as a Sulphur Emission Control Area (SECA).

In such an Emission Control Area, the IMO will limit for sulphur in fuel oil used on ships 0.10% mass by mass (m/m). Outside of these areas, the limit is set at 0.50% m/m.

Alternative solutions to the new limits are installing exhaust gas cleaning systems, frequently known as “scrubbers,” or burning sulphur-free fuels.

The proposed amendment is expected to enter force on 1 May 2024 and to take effect on 1 May 2025. The decision marks a significant step forward towards cleaner air in the Mediterranean region.

Before 1 May 2025, ship operators must ensure that crews are familiar with the sulphur emission limits in all jurisdictions to which they operate.

Once in effect, the Mediterranean Sea will become the fifth area in the world to be designed as an ECA with limited sulphur content.

Other ECA’s exist around the Baltic and North Seas, the Caribbean, the Hawaiian Islands and North America.