MARPOL Annex IV's introduction brings into sharp focus issues pertaining to fuel quality and emission levels in the far reaches of the world - with the very conspicuous absence of the United States, the world's largest economy. Over several years, European politicians and lobbyists have added ingredients to the International Maritime Organisation (IMO)'s MARPOL Annex VI,culminating in the agreement reached in the European Parliament last month for the first emission control areas to be established in European Union (EU) waters. But while Europe has been busy compromising environmental ethics with economic growth, its largest trade partner, the US, has been watching events unfurl from afar. A recent data-gathering process undertaken by the US' Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) suggests that the US will soon be catching-up with its trans-Atlantic neighbours.
Karl Simon, Deputy Director, EPA Office of Transportation and Air Quality, explains to Bunkerworld that the US implementation of a SECA on the US west, east and US Gulf coasts, could be a radically different prospect from the EU's recent agreement. They are looking to make our participation in Annex VI formal through the ratification process. Seperately, however, the SECA application is very data-specific. They are currently data gathering to make sure that they have appropriate information to make the right decisions. So there has been no decision from government level. They are in the process of scoping out the application to have a SECA adopted under Annex VI. If the analytical work they are conducting is supportive of an application then they will apply.
The EPA is looking to fill a number of blank ...