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In March this year, The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposal to designate waters off the North American coasts as an Emission Control Area was adopted by IMO, the International Maritime Organization. The North American ECA is a key part of a comprehensive EPA program to address harmful emissions from large ships. Which are the time schedules of upcoming emission regulations? How are marine engine manufacturers preparing for the tighter air emission limits being adopted? Henrik Segercrantz explores.
The North American 200 nautical mile Emission Control Area for sulfur oxides (SOx), nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter (PM) will also include Canada's Pacific and Atlantic coasts, the South coast of Alaska, and Hawaii.
The latest component of EPA’s coordinated strategy for addressing emissions from ocean-going vessels is a proposal, from August this year, to designate an Emission Control Area for the U.S. Caribbean. The United States submitted a proposal to IMO in advance of the September 2010 IMO meeting, requesting that waters around the coasts of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands be designated as an ECA.
Other EPA programs to address harmful emissions in the U.S. include voluntary partnerships under EPA’s Clean Ports USA program and implementation of a Clean Air Act rule-making that EPA finalized last December.
The first designated ECA areas, governed by IMOs revised Annex VI (Regulations for the Prevention of Air Pollution from Ships) of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL convention), were those of the Baltic Sea and the North Sea area, which also includes the English Channel. The revised Annex VI allows for ECAs to be designated for SOx and particulate matter, or NOx, or all three types of emissions from ships. The regulations implementing the new North American ECA are expected to enter into force in August 2011, with the ECA becoming effective from August 2012.
Complete Story at:
http://www.marinelink.com/news/regulation-emission335515.aspx
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