MARINE ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION COMMITTEE 83rd SESSION (MEPC 83)  Summary Report  

The eighty third session of Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 83) was held in person from the 7th to the 11th of April 2025, with hybrid facilities allowing remote participation.

The Committee approved mid-term measures to reduce GHG emissions of the shipping sector with amendments of MARPOL Annex VI (chapter 5 “Regulations on the IMO Net-Zero Framework”). The approval was confirmed with a majority of 63 of 79 votes (16 negative votes) according to the legal procedures (parties with the right of voting).

After the last two meetings of ISWG-GHG (18 and 19), negotiations on the reduction of GHG entered their last phase based on one single proposal: the new chapter 5 of Marpol annex VI. Due to reiterated opposition from several participants, the levy on GHG emissions was removed of the final version. However, the economic element was re-introduced with an integrated pricing mechanism setting the technical element through a trajectory of fuel’s GHG intensity (on a well-to-wake basis).

The regulations provide a trajectory of GHG reduction till 2035 with a two-tiered compliance approach. They establish an IMO Green Fuel Intensity (GFI) Registry and the IMO Net-Zero Fund with several objectives as a framework for revenue disbursement.

The agreement reached after extensive discussions could not be accepted by several delegations which requested a vote while some others expressed their disappointment.

The approval by vote on Friday, the 11th of April, yields the way to the formal adoption of the amendments at the MEPC Exceptional Session 2 in October. Some delegations already expressed their reservations.

A substantive amount of works is still ahead of the working group to implement the goals set-up in the regulations (read Item 7): two inter-sessional working-groups are announced before MEPC 84. 

MEPC adopted the following:

• amendments to the NOx TC 2008 regarding the certification of an existing engine subject to substantial modification and associated draft guidance on the content of the Engine Emission test plan to be issued as an MEPC circular;
• amendments to the NOx Technical Code 2008 on the use of multiple engine operational profiles (MEOPs);
• amendments to the NOx Technical Code 2008 on Selective Catalytic Reduction Guidelines;
• amendments to the 2021 Guidelines on the operational carbon intensity reduction factors relative to reference lines (CII reduction factors guidelines, G3) with reservations expressed by some delegations;
• amendments to the 2024 Guidelines for the development of a Ship Energy Efficiency Management Plan (SEEMP);
• guidelines for test-bed and onboard measurements of methane (CH4) and/or nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from marine diesel engines;
• amendments to the 2022 Guidelines on survey and certification of the Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI);

The Committee also approved the following:

• amendments of MARPOL Annex VI (“chapter 5- “Net Zero IMO Framework”);
• amendments to regulation 27 of MARPOL Annex VI on accessibility to the IMO Ship Fuel Oil Consumption Database (IMO DCS) while agreeing on the need to further strengthen anonymization provisions in 2022 Guidelines for the development and management of the IMO Ship Fuel Oil Consumption Database the draft work plan for phase 2 of the review of the short-term GHG reduction measures;
• North-Atlantic ECA (Sox, Nox and PM);
• Guidance on in-water cleaning of ships' biofouling and the associated draft MEPC circular with the prospect of adopting mandatory requirement (new output);
• the draft MEPC circular on Interim guidance on the carriage of blends of biofuels and MARPOL Annex I cargoes by conventional bunker ships (carriage of blends up to 30% biofuel);
• the draft 2025 Action Plan to Address Marine Plastic Litter from Ships and the updated grouping of continuous actions;

The Commitee progressed on:

• the review of Ballast Water Management Convention setting a list of provisions and updated list and status of amendments under the convention review stage of the experience-building phase. The re-established Correspondence Group will finalize the draft amendments to mandatory instruments (the Annex to the BWM Convention including regulations and appendices) and the BWMS Code. Terms of reference aim an approval by MEPC 84;
• draft work plan on the development of a regulatory framework for the use of OCCS.