REVIEW OF MARPOL ANNEX VI AND THE NOx TECHNICAL CODE

The document advocates for the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to strengthen MARPOL Annex VI by introducing rigorous limits on nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulphur oxides (SOx), and particulate matter (PM) for all ships. It provides evidence that current shipping emissions are under-regulated and cause significant public health and environmental damage, while asserting that advanced control technologies—such as selective catalytic reduction (SCR) and humid air motors (HAM)—make substantial reductions feasible and cost-effective. The submission highlights regional regulatory trends in the European Union and California as precursors to the need for a consistent global standard and urges the adoption of shore-side power standardization.

• Shipping emissions are described as being among the most under-regulated major sources of air pollution globally, with existing international regulations from 1997 limited only to NOx from new ships and fuel sulphur content.
• Various technologies can achieve significant NOx reductions: Humid Air Motor (HAM) technology has reduced emissions by 75-85%, Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) has produced reductions of 80-90%, and Wartsila's combination of heavy fuel oil microemulsion with combustion air saturation (CASS) can reduce NOx by up to 90% from current Annex VI standards.
• An Entec study for the European Commission found that reducing shipping NOx emissions is more cost-effective than reducing NOx from land-based sources; for example, the cost for heavy-duty trucks and buses was over 8,000 euro/tonne, which is more than 13 times the cost of the most expensive shipping abatement measure.
• SO2 abatement measures include sea water scrubbing, which reduces SO2 by an average of 75% and PM by 25%, and switching to low-sulphur fuel; switching to 0.5% sulphur fuel reduces SO2 emissions by over 80%.
• Shore-side power is identified as a method to reduce NOx, SOx, and PM emissions by 90% or more in Europe and California.
• Research from the California Air Resources Board (CARB) indicates that ship activities account for approximately 75% of total PM emissions at ports or within California Coastal Waters, contributing to elevated cancer risks and non-cancer health impacts like asthma and premature death.
• The European Union has implemented a directive requiring a 1.5% sulphur limit for passenger vessels between EU ports as of 2006, and a 0.1% limit for inland vessels and seagoing ships at berth in EU ports by 2010.

APA

Clean Air Task Force (2006). REVIEW OF MARPOL ANNEX VI AND THE NOx TECHNICAL CODE. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/21093049/20060303-14-13-FOEI.pdf

Chicago

Clean Air Task Force. REVIEW OF MARPOL ANNEX VI AND THE NOx TECHNICAL CODE. 2006. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/21093049/20060303-14-13-FOEI.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Clean Air Task Force |title=REVIEW OF MARPOL ANNEX VI AND THE NOx TECHNICAL CODE |date=26 January 2006 |url=https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/21093049/20060303-14-13-FOEI.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{cleanairtaskforce2006review, author = {{Clean Air Task Force}}, title = {{REVIEW OF MARPOL ANNEX VI AND THE NOx TECHNICAL CODE}}, publisher = {Clean Air Task Force}, year = {2006}, month = jan, url = {https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/21093049/20060303-14-13-FOEI.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }