Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore (BV) has issued a reminder that amendments to Marpol Annex VI, that were adopted at the IMO MEPC 82 meeting, formally designate the Canadian Arctic and the Norwegian Sea as Emission Control Areas (ECAs) for the control of NOx, SOx, and Particulate Matter (PM).
While the amendments formally enter into force on 1 March 2026, the implementation of technical requirements follows a phased approach depending on the pollutant and the vessel’s construction dates.
The limitations of emissions of SOx and PM, requiring vessels to use fuel with sulphur content under 0.10% m/m unless an approved equivalent arrangement is used (e.g. Exhaust Gas Cleaning System [EGCS] will become mandatory from 1 March 2027. A 12-month grace period from the entry into force of the amendments applies to newly designated ECAs to allow for logistical adjustments in fuel supply.
Marine diesel engines with a power output of more than 130kW installed on a ship must comply with IMO Tier III emission limits when operating in these two new ECAs based on the following construction criteria:
- Canadian Arctic: Ships constructed (keel laid) on or after 1 January 2025
- Norwegian Sea: Ships for which the building contract is placed on or after 1 March 2026; or in the absence of a building contract, the keel of which is laid or which is at a similar stage of construction on or after 1 September 2026; or the delivery of which is on or after 1 March 2030.
According to BV, the Norwegian Sea ECA makes use of a ‘three date criterion’ (building contract, keel laid and delivery date) which differs from the application format used in other NOx ECAs. This approach aims to ensure more effective implementation of Tier III NOx requirements. Consequently, the new requirements apply to ships delivered on or after 1 March 2030, regardless of keel-laying date.
To facilitate the verification of compliance for the Norwegian Sea NOx ECA, Resolution MEPC.392(82) introduces changes to the Supplement to the International Air Pollution Prevention (IAPP) Certificate. Specifically, Section 1.3 now mandates explicit entry of three dates: Contract Date, Keel Laying Date, and Delivery Date
In accordance with the provisions in paragraph 3.1 of the Guidance provided in MSC-MEPC.5/Circ.6, re-issuance of the existing IAPP certificates and their supplements for NOx emission compliance, after entry into force of the amendments, would not be necessary unless ships are intended to operate in or enter in a SOx ECAs on or after their effective dates for which the compliance shall be verified and recorded, as appropriate.
Ship owners and managers are invited to take all appropriate actions to ensure compliance with the revised requirements, including:
- Use of compliant fuels (≤0.10% m/m sulphur content);
- Certification of marine diesel engines for Tier III NOx compliance (as applicable);
- Implementation of proper fuel changeover procedures.
Image: New emission limits are coming into force in the Canadian Arctic and Norwgian Sea areas (source: Bureau Veritas)
