Jakarta — The Mediterranean Sea has officially become an Emission Control Area (ECA) for sulphur oxides and particulate matter (Med SOx ECA), marking a major step in reducing air pollution from ships in one of the world’s busiest maritime regions, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) said on Thursday, May 1.
Under new regulations enforced by the IMO through MARPOL Annex VI, ships operating in the Mediterranean must now use fuel with a sulphur content not exceeding 0.1%, a significant tightening compared to the 0.5% global limit. The measure, which took effect on May 1, 2025, aims to cut harmful emissions from maritime traffic drastically.
“Decreasing SOx emissions from shipping improves human health by lowering rates of lung cancer, cardiovascular disease, strokes and childhood asthma,” the IMO announced. Environmental gains include less acidification, which will protect crops, forests, and marine life, while improved visibility at sea is expected to enhance maritime safety.
The Mediterranean accounts for 20% of global seaborne trade and is frequented by nearly a quarter of the world’s shipping fleet and over 17% of cruise vessels. The new designation makes it the fifth official ECA under MARPOL, joining the Baltic Sea, North Sea, North America, and the Caribbean Sea regions. Additional ECAs in the Canadian Arctic and Norwegian Sea were approved in 2024, with a North-East Atlantic ECA recently endorsed in April 2025.
The new rules build on a 2020 global sulphur cap that cut sulphur oxide emissions by 70% by limiting fuel sulphur content outside ECAs to 0.5%. (nsh)
Banner photo: New sulphur emission limits enter into effect in the Mediterranean medium (Source: IMO)
