As a growing share of trade routes shift from air and land to the world’s oceans, nations have mobilized to limit carbon emissions and thus protect the marime environment.
Emission Control Areas (ECAs), also known as Sulphur Emission Control Areas (SECAs), were established to impose stricter controls seeking to minimize airborne emissions (SOx, NOx, ODS, VOC) from ships, as defined by Annex VI of the 1997 MARPOL Protocol.
As of 2011 there were four existing ECAs: the Baltic Sea, the North Sea, the North American ECA, including most of US, and Canadian coast and the US Caribbean ECA.
You can expect other areas to be added via protocol, as defined in Annex VI.
Emissions controls were gradually imposed and by January, 2015 were fully implemented.
Sulphur limits for fuel in ECAs:
before 1 July 2010 1.50% m/m
between 1 July 2010 and 1 January 2015 1.00% m/m
after 1 January 2015 0.10% m/m
For shippers, these stringent new standards can mean millions of dollars in additional low-sulphur fuel costs (which could be as much as 50% more expensive), or hefty fines and/or lengthy judicial processes as authorities, under the pressure of environmentalists, seek to punish violators.
Increasingly, ship owners are choosing the CR Ocean Engineers Marine Scrubbers, designed to meet the many needs and requirements of the shipping/marine industry, providing a small footprints, ease of retrofit into existing structures, high reliability and uncompromised efficiency.
This flexible, new technology is available in three main designs, to meet compliance requirements at a fraction of the cost of switching to low-sulphur fuel.
For more information, contact Nick or call him at 1 (973) 455-0005
