Requirements within emission control areas (The latest amendment)

Refer to MARPOL Annex VI, Reg. 14, While a ship is operating within an emission control area, the Sulphur content of fuel oil used on board that ship shall not exceed 0.10% m/m.

The emission control areas under this regulation are:

1. The Baltic Sea area
2. The North Sea area
3. The North American Emission Control Area,
4. The United States Caribbean Sea Emission Control Area,
5. The Mediterranean Sea Emission Control Area (A new area which has been adopted at MEPC 79 and will be into force from 01. May.2024)

Regarding above, we tried to collect the exact definitions of the SECA for our readers, as a reference. Stay with us:

The Baltic Sea area means the Baltic Sea proper with the Gulf of Bothnia, the Gulf of Finland and the entrance to the Baltic Sea bounded by the parallel of the Skaw in the Skagerrak at 57°44.8' N; (regulation 1.11.2 of Annex I)

The North Sea area means the North Sea proper including seas therein with the boundary between (regulation 1.14.6 of Annex V):

1. the North Sea southwards of latitude 62º N and eastwards of longitude 4º W;
2. the Skagerrak, the southern limit of which is determined east of the Skaw by latitude 57º 44.8΄ N; and
3. the English Channel and its approaches eastwards of longitude 5º W and northwards of latitude 48º 30΄ N.

Figure 1: SECA Map

The North American area comprises (MARPOL Annex VI, Appendix VII):

1- The sea area located off the Pacific coasts of the United States and Canada, enclosed by geodesic lines connecting the following coordinates:

2- The sea areas located off the Atlantic coasts of the United States, Canada and France (Saint- Pierre-et-Miquelon), and the Gulf of Mexico coast of the United States enclosed by geodesic lines connecting the following coordinates:

3- The sea area located off the coasts of the Hawaiian Islands of Hawai’i, Maui, Oahu, Moloka’i, Ni’ihau, Kaua’i, Lana’i and Kaho’olawe, enclosed by geodesic lines connecting the following coordinates:

The United States Caribbean Sea area includes (MARPOL Annex VI, Appendix VII):

The sea area located off the Atlantic and Caribbean coasts of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands, enclosed by geodesic lines connecting the following coordinates:

The Mediterranean Sea Emission Control Area (will be into force from 01. May.2024):

The Mediterranean Sea Emission Control Area for Sulphur oxides and particulate matter includes all waters bounded by the coasts of Europe, Africa and Asia, and is described by the following coordinates:

1. the western entrance to the Straits of Gibraltar, defined as a line joining the extremities of Cape Trafalgar, Spain (36°11'N, 6°02'W) and Cape Spartel, Morocco (35°48'N, 5°55'W);
2. the Strait of Canakkale, defined as a line joining Mehmetcik Burnu (40°03'N, 26°11'E) and Kumkale Burnu (40°01'N, 26°12'E); and
3. the northern entrance to the Suez Canal excluding the area enclosed by geodesic lines connecting points 1-4 with the following coordinates:

Figure 2: The Mediterranean Sea Emission Control Area