The 73^rd session of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) is taking place in London this week. On the agenda is consideration of setting a cap of ship speeds to significantly reduce their contribution to climate change, support for implementation of the new lower 0.50% limit on Sulphur in ships’ fuel oil which will be in force from 1 January 2020, and a number of proposals to address the issue of marine plastic litter from shipping. The IMO has also agreed that its Sub-Committee on Pollution Prevention and Response (PPR) should develop a ban on heavy fuel oil for use and carriage as fuel by ships in Arctic waters, based on an assessment of the impacts of such a ban. Currently, the use and carriage of heavy fuel oil is banned in the Antarctic under MARPOL Annex I regulation 43. It is recommended in the Polar Code that the same rules are applied in the Arctic waters.

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