The Atlantic Emission Control Area implementation

Toward the Atlantic Emission Control Area implementation

The status of the Atlantic Emission Control Area (ECA) is currently marked by a bifurcation into two distinct zones due to diplomatic challenges.
The Northern Atlantic ECA will encompass the Atlantic Ocean area north of the Strait of Gibraltar, and it is set to be the largest ECA globally.
This zone’s development is spearheaded by Portugal, which, with support from other flag states, will submit the proposal to the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
The proposal is anticipated to meet the criteria outlined in MARPOL Annex VI, which include defining the area, specifying emission types, assessing environmental and health impacts, and evaluating shipping traffic and associated costs.
The necessary scientific and technical criteria are expected to be completed by fall 2024, with the proposal slated for submission at the IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) meeting in 2025.
Once approved, the ECA will be implemented 2-3 years thereafter. In contrast, the Southern Atlantic ECA, covering the area south of the Strait of Gibraltar down to the Canary Islands, remains under development.
The LIFE4MECA project will monitor progress on resolving the diplomatic issues associated with this zone but is not directly involved in its current scope. The Northern Atlantic ECA, with its rigorous assessment criteria and expansive coverage, aims to significantly enhance maritime environmental protection by reducing shipping emissions in one of the world’s most critical marine regions.

The world’s largest emission control area (ATLECA) adopted with “historic” agreement The UN’s International Maritime Organization (IMO) has decided to approve the establishment of a so-called emission control area (ECA) in the northern part of the Atlantic Ocean. This means that ships sailing in the ECA area will have to use moresustainable fuel with a maximum sulfur content of 0.1%. The proposal is expected to enter into force in 2027. The agreement marks “a historic day in the reduction of air pollution from ships”, according to the German environmental NGO Nabu. “The ECA in the Northeast Atlantic will close the gap between existing ECAsin the North and Baltic Seas and the Mediterranean. Thus, almost allEuropean waters will soon be emission control areas,” The news has also delighted the organization Green Global Future, which calls it “a huge victory”. “It’s fantastic that we now have the world’s largest ECA,” Kåre Press-Kristensen, advisor to the organization. While this week’s IMO negotiations have primarily been about reaching a global climate agreement on ship reduction of CO2 emissions by 2025, th eadoption of the ECA is significant in itself, according to Press-Kristensen. “There has been a lot of focus on the greenhouse gas agreement, and of course it would be a shame if such an agreement were to fail, but perhaps the focus on the big agreement has left room to get other agreements through,” he says. According to the advisor, it has created a “window of opportunity”. “I’m excited about the deal and come home a happy man, whatever theoutcome of the negotiations.” The new ECA, which will stretch from the Atlantic coastline all the way toGreenland, will provide millions of people with cleaner air to breathe. A study by Nabu and the International Council on Clean Transportation(ICCT) estimates that the ECA zone could prevent between 118 and 176 premature deaths in 2030, and between 2,900 and 4,300 deaths overallbetween 2030 and 2050. Sönke Diesener from Nabu also points out that sulfur emissions have decreased by 70% since 2014 within the already established environmenta lzones. That’s why he would like to see even more of them established. “Therefore, it is only consistent to continue with this regulatory framework.The only European waters not covered so far are the Canary Islands, Azoresand Madeira and the Black Sea. It is not acceptable to leave these peoplewith toxic air pollution,” he says. The proposal must now be formally approved at a meeting of the IMO’sMarine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) this fall and is then expected to enter into force in 2027.