The Mediterranean Sea has officially become an emission control area (ECA) for sulphur oxides and particulate matter under the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) MARPOL Annex VI, effective May 1, 2025.
Ships operating in the area are limited to 0.1 percent of its fuel oil being made up of sulphur content, with the IMO claiming that air pollution will be significantly diminished whilst benefitting both human health and marine life too. It is also thought that the number of maritime accidents will decrease due to the reduction in haze caused by vessels.
The Med SOx ECA is the fifth designated emission control area under MARPOL Annex VI, alongside the Baltic Sea area; the North Sea area; the North American area (covering designated coastal areas off the USA and Canada); and the United States Caribbean Sea ECA (around Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands).
In 2024, IMO designated two further ECAs: the Canadian Arctic and the Norwegian Sea. In April 2025, MEPC 83 approved a proposal to designate the North-East Atlantic as an Emission Control Area.
