Change is coming
Starting May 1 2025 ships operating in the Med SOx ECA are required to comply with a limit for sulphur content in fuel oil that is a fifth of the legal limit outside this area (0.10 per cent mass by mass (m/m), compared with 0.50 per cent m/m allowed outside the Med SOx ECA).
This drop should prevent at least 1,000 premature deaths per year and reduce new cases of child asthma by 2,000 every year.
The designation of the Mediterranean Sea as an Emission Control Area for sulphur oxides (SECA) will eventually cut emissions of these gases by almost 80%, and will also cut emissions of harmful fine dust (PM2.5) by almost a quarter, with considerable benefits for human health and the environment.
The Mediterranean Sea is home to some of the busiest maritime routes in the world, supporting 20 per cent of seaborne trade. It is estimated that 24 per cent of the global fleet of ships and more than 17 per cent of worldwide cruises ply the Mediterranean Sea.