"No Medium-Term Prospect" for Mediterranean ECA

by Ship & Bunker News Team
Wednesday September 30, 2015

Jordi Vila, Head of Port Operations and Planning for the Port of Barcelona, says that there is no "medium-term" likelihood that the European Union (EU) emission control area (ECA) will be extended to container lines within the Mediterranean, JOC reports.

"The realisation of a Med ECA is very difficult because the ECA designation has to be unanimous in the [International Maritime Organization (IMO)] and will be very hard to achieve," asserted Vila.

"So I would say that, at least in the medium term, the answer is no."

Vila's comments are said to have come at Friday's LNG Bunkering Mediterranean Summit in Barcelona, where other conference delegates are reported to have expressed optimism that a Mediterranean ECA may be introduced as part of an intended IMO global sulfur cap, which would see a 0.50 percent sulfur limit in ship fuels by 2020.

Delegates are also reported to have discussed the possibility of unilateral action by IMO's Mediterranean EU member states to create "mini-ECAs" for either individual ports or entire coastlines.

James Ashworth, from Singapore-based Tri-Zen, commented that the Australian government failed to reach agreement on reducing ship emissions for Australian waters, but sensitive areas were still able to be protected through unilaterally passed legislation at the state level, which is said to have banned ships burning "dirty" fuel.

"You might adopt any one of the models we have discussed, until not having an ECA simply doesn't make sense," said Ashworth.

In August, it was reported that ships destined for the UK could save money by using ports on the Welsh coast due to a "loophole" caused by the Irish Sea being omitted from ECA rules.