A national workshop in Alexandria, Egypt (26-27 November) has helped lay the groundwork for Egypt to accede to and implement MARPOL Annex VI, including regulations aimed at cutting air pollution from ships in the Mediterranean.
Annex VI to the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL Annex VI), along with its related Guidelines, is a set a of international regulations that establish Emission Control Areas (ECAs). These are certain areas in which extra stringent air pollution controls are applied to ships, covering sulphur oxide (SOx) and nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions, as well as particulate matter.
A Mediterranean Emission Control Area for sulphur oxide emissions (Med SOx ECA) will come into effect on 1 May 2025, covering all waters bounded by the coasts of Europe, Africa and Asia.
More than 40 Egyptian officials joined the workshop, including representatives of the country's shipping regulators and national authorities in charge of marine environmental issues. They were familiarized with the requirements for air pollution prevention and promotion of energy efficiency under MARPOL Annex VI, including stringent sulphur limits that apply in the Med SOx ECA*.
Participants were briefed on the benefits and barriers to accession and implementation, as well as the technical and operational implications for Egypt. Discussions highlighted the importance of collective action in the region to address shipping emissions and ensuring compliance with international standards. Delegates had the opportunity to exchange best practices, including lessons learned from other Emission Control Areas established by IMO, including the Baltic Sea and North Sea areas.
The workshop was organized by the Regional Marine Pollution Emergency Response Centre for the Mediterranean Sea (REMPEC) and co-financed through IMO's Integrated Technical Cooperation Programme (ITCP) and the Italian Ministry for Environment and Energy Security, through the Mediterranean Trust Fund (MTF).
*From 1 May 2025, ships operating in the Med SOx ECA are required to comply with a limit for sulphur content in fuel oil that is a fifth of the legal limit outside this area (0.10 per cent mass by mass (m/m), compared with 0.50 per cent m/m allowed outside the Med SOx ECA).
