As reported in the 2012 edition of the Review of
Maritime Transport, with effect from 1 January
2012, MARPOL Annex VI established reduced SOx
thresholds for marine bunker fuels, with the global
sulphur cap reduced from 4.5 per cent (45,000 parts
per million (ppm)) to 3.5 per cent (35,000 ppm). The
global sulphur cap will be reduced further to 0.50 per
cent (5,000 ppm) from 2020 (subject to a feasibility
review in 2018) Annex VI also contains provisions
allowing for special SOx Emission Control Areas
(ECAs) to be established where even more stringent
controls on sulphur emissions apply Since 1 July
2010, these ECAs have SOx thresholds for marine
fuels of 1 per cent (from the previous 1.5 per cent);
from 1 January 2015, ships operating in these areas will be required to burn fuel with no more than 0.1 per
cent sulphur. Alternatively, ships must fit an exhaust
gas cleaning system,or use any other technological
method to limit SOx emissions.