Proposal for a Council Decision on the position to be adopted on behalf of the European Union at the International Maritime Organization during the 70th and 71st session of the Marine Environment Protection Committee on the approval and adoption of amendments to MARPOL Annex VI concerning the designation and taking effect of the Baltic Sea and North Sea as Nitrogen Oxyde Emissions Control Area (NECA)

The present proposal concerns the establishment of the Union position at the 70th and 71st session of the International Maritime Organization's (IMO) Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) in relation to the approval and adoption of the amendments to Annex VI to the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) concerning the designation and taking effect of the Baltic Sea and North Sea as Nitrogen Oxide Emissions Control Areas (NECAs).

In order to prevent, reduce and control nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from ships, MARPOL Annex VI provides the possibility to designate, at the request of the Parties having a common interest in a particular sea area, a NECA. A request for designation needs to be submitted to the IMO which has to consider, approve and adopt the necessary amendments to MARPOL Annex VI so that the proposed designation of a particular sea area as NECA can enter into force and take effect. All EU Member States except for Austria and Hungary have ratified MARPOL Annex VI.

The first NECAs that were designated in the North American Seas and the United States Caribbean Sea areas took effect on January 2016. When operating in those sea areas, an engine which is installed on a ship constructed after that date will have to comply with the so-called Tier III requirements laid down in MARPOL Annex VI. The most common available emission abatement technologies that would ensure compliance with the Tier III requirements are exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) systems, selective catalytic reduction (SCR) systems, or engines (partly) fuelled by liquified natural gas (LNG).

In anticipation of the substantial environmental and health benefits, and following the North American example, all the Baltic Sea and North Sea riparian States jointly decided to propose the designation of both seas as NECAs to the IMO in order to significantly reduce the total amount of NOx emissions from ships over time. NOx emissions from ships in the Baltic Sea and North Sea contribute significantly to air pollution, especially in big coastal cities, through particulate matter (PM) formation, ground ozone formation and contribution to nitrogen dioxides (NO2) concentrations, all having adverse effects on human health.

Nitrogen input to the marine and terrestrial environment through atmospheric deposition also contributes to the eutrophication of the sea and land. Eutrophication is a major problem in the Baltic Sea. NOx emissions from ships contribute to the total nitrogen input to the marine environment through atmospheric deposition, thus exacerbating the problem of Baltic Sea eutrophication. The application of Tier III regulations resulting from the designation of the Baltic as NECA could reduce eutrophication in several Baltic Sea areas by up to 20-30%.

Without any control measures, NOx emissions from North Sea shipping will contribute between 7% to 24% to the average annual ambient air concentrations of NOx in the North Sea riparian states in 2030. Contributions from shipping to nitrogen deposition in the North Sea states range from 2% to 5%. Designation of the North Sea as NECA is expected to reduce these contributions of North Sea shipping emissions by about one-third.

EUR-Lex: COM(2016)617: Follow the progress of this proposal through the decision-making procedure http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/HIS/?uri=COM:2016:617:FIN

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