On 16 April 2018 the European Commission published a reporton implementation and compliance with the sulphur standards for marine fuels set out in Directive (EU) 2016/802 relating to a reduction in the sulphur content of certain liquid fuels. The report describes the progress made by Member States and the maritime industry in implementing EU rules under the Directive that led to a significant drop of air pollution from sulphur oxides emitted from ships.

The report follows the approval, on 13 April 2018, by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) of draft amendments to the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL Convention) Annex VI prohibiting the carriage of fuel oil noncompliant with the sulphur content limit. These amendments aim at ensuring the implementation of the 0.50% sulphur limit in marine fuels as of 2020.

On the same day, IMO also adopted its Strategy to reduce GHG emissions from international shipping. IMO  aims to reduce the total annual GHG emissions by at least 50% by 2050, compared to 2008 levels.

Further information is available at the following LINK.

Davide Scavuzzo