U.S. EPA May Raise ECA Fines to $38,000 per Day: Sources

by Ship & Bunker News Team
Wednesday November 26, 2014

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) may move in 2015 to substantially raise fines for violating Emission Control Areas (ECA) limits, reports InsideEPA.com

According to unnamed sources, the fines for violating the U.S. Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (APPS) which is administered under MARPOL Annex VI could rise to $38,000 per day from the current $25,000

The EPA issued a new direct final rule earlier this month which extended its administrative enforcement proceedings to include enforcing civil penalties as well, which sources said may have been a prelude to the hiked fines.

According to the EPA, the move is a part of the agency's move to standardize ECA monitoring measures ahead of the reduced sulfur content regulations beginning next year, which will limit marine fuel used in ECAs to 0.10 percent by weight. 

The limit was previously 1.0 percent. 

One source however, said that they weren't overly concerned with EPA enforcement, especially as there have been only 35,000 compliance checks by the U.S. Coast Guard since ECAs were first implemented mid-2012. 

North American ECAs extend to 200 nautical miles off the coast of the United States and Canada.