Report of MEPC 78 meeting - 6 to 10 June 2022

The MEPC 78 meeting was particularly awaited because the necessary guidelines for the application of the amendments to Annex VI of MARPOL on EEXI and CII (item 7) were to be finally adopted on this occasion.

 This work had been amply prepared by the holding of the ISWG-GHG 12 whose minutes it may be interesting to refer to, in addition to reading this report.

 Thus were adopted or approved, as the case may be, the new versions of the following texts compared to the texts adopted by the MEPC 76:

 EEXI issues

• resolution MEPC.350(78) on 2022 Guidelines on the method of calculation of the attained Energy Efficiency Existing Ship Index (EEXI) ;
• resolution MEPC.351(78) on 2022 Guidelines on survey and certification of the attained Energy Efficiency Existing Ship Index (EEXI) ;
• MEPC.1/Circ. 902 on Guidance on methods, procedures and verification of in-service performance measurements.

Correction factors and voyage adjustments for CII

• MEPC.352(78) on 2022 Guidelines on Operational Carbon Intensity Indicators and the Calculation Methods (CII Guidelines, G1);
• MEPC.353(78) on 2022 Guidelines on the Reference Lines for use with Operational Carbon Intensity Indicators (CII Reference Lines Guidelines, G2);
• MEPC.354(78) on 2022 Guidelines on the Operational Carbon Intensity Rating of Ships (CII Rating Guidelines, G4);
• MEPC.355(78) on 2022 Interim Guidelines on Correction Factors and Voyage Adjustments for CII Calculations (CII Guidelines, G5).

 SEEMP issues

• MEPC.346(78) on 2022 Guidelines for the development of a Ship Energy Efficiency Management Plan (SEEMP) ;
• MEPC.347(78) on Guidelines for the verification and company audits by the Administration of part III of the Ship Energy Efficiency Management Plan (SEEMP).

 DCS guidelines

• MEPC.348(78) on 2022 Guidelines for Administration verification of ship fuel oil consumption data and operational carbon intensity ;
• MEPC.349(78) on 2022 Guidelines for the development and management of the IMO Ship Fuel Oil Consumption Database

 MEPC 78 also marked an important milestone in the implementation of the IMO's Initial GHG Reduction Strategy Roadmap. MEPC 78 endorsed the conclusion of the ISWG-GHG 12 that it had finalized the consideration of the various proposals for mid-term measures under phase I of the Work plan for the development of mid-term measures and was now advancing to further development of a "basket of candidate mid-term measures" under phase II of the Work plan.

This committee gave a lot of space to the discussions on the revision of the strategy, revision which must be recorded in 2023 during the MEPC 80. The principle of raising the level of ambition seems fairly widely accepted, but some delegations do not hesitate not to attach so many conditions to it that the scope and effectiveness of an increase in the objectives are still largely subject to caution.

It must be emphasized that decision on Market based measures proposals, particularly proposal from industry for an IMRB/F has been one more time delayed, for the greatest displeasure of its proponents.

Another important decision of MEPC 78 was the approval of amendments to Annex VI MARPOL for the designation the Mediterranean Sea, as a whole, as an Emission Control Area (ECA) for sulphur oxides (SOx) and particulate matter (Med SOx ECA) (item 11). This question, although consensual among the neighboring States, was the occasion for certain delegations to make observations on the possible impacts of such measures on maritime trade.

 MEPC 78 also adopted :

• amendments to MARPOL Annex I and to Chapter 2 of the IBC Code concerning watertight doors (item 3)
• amendments to MARPOL Annex II related to the revised GESAMP Hazard Evaluation Procedure (item 3)

 MEPC 78 approved

• draft amendments to appendix V of MARPOL Annex VI (Reporting of flashpoint under MARPOL Annex VI), with a view to adoption by MEPC 79 (item 5)
• draft amendments to MARPOL Annex V to make the Garbage Record Book mandatory also for ships of 100 gross tonnage and above and less than 400 gross tonnage, with a view to adoption at MEPC 79 (item 8)
• draft amendments to MARPOL Annexes I, II, IV, V and VI concerning regional reception facilities in the Arctic, with a view to adoption at MEPC 79 (item 9)
• draft amendments to the 2012 Guidelines  for  the  development  of  a  regional  reception  facility  plan  (resolution MEPC.221(63)) (item 9)

 Having considered the draft updated guidelines concerning anti-fouling systems on ships, following the adoption by MEPC 76 of amendments to the AFS Convention introducing controls on cybutryne, MEPC 78 adopted the following MEPC resolutions (item 9):

• MEPC.356(78) on 2022 Guidelines for brief sampling of anti-fouling systems on ships ;
• MEPC.357(78) on 2022 Guidelines for inspection of anti-fouling systems on ship ;
• MEPC.358(78) on 2022 Guidelines for survey and certification of anti-fouling systems on ships.

 The Committee also approved :

• BWM 2/Circ.61/Rev.1 - Guidance on methodologies that may be used for enumerating viable organisms for type approval of ballast water management systems (item 4)
• BWM 2/Circ.66/Rev.3 - Unified interpretation of appendix I to the BWM Convention (Form of International Ballast Water Management Certificate) (item 4)
• BWM 2/Circ.13/Rev.5 - Methodology for information gathering and conduct of work of the GESAMP-Ballast Water Working Group (item 4)
• MEPC.1/Circ.895/Rev.1 - Unified interpretation of paragraph 4.4.6.1 of the NOx Technical Code 2008 (item 5)
• MEPC.1/Circ.795/Rev.6 - Unified interpretation of regulation 18.3 of MARPOL Annex VI, with regard to the use of biofuels (item 5)
• MEPC.1/Circ.899 - 2022 Guidelines for risk and impact assessments of the discharge water from exhaust gas cleaning systems (item 5)
• MEPC.1/Circ.900 - 2022 Guidance regarding the delivery of EGCS residues to port reception facilities (item 5)
• FAL.2-MEPC.1-MSC.1-LEG.2 Circ. 4 on the List of certificates and documents required to be carried on board ships, 2022 (item 10)

 MEPC 78 concurred with :

• the evaluation of products and their respective inclusion in lists 1, 2, 3 and 5 of MEPC.2/Circ.27 (issued on 1 December 2021) (item 9);
• the evaluation of cleaning additives and their inclusion in annex 10 to MEPC.2/Circ.27 (item 9).

 MEPC 78 established the following Correspondence groups :

• Review of the BWM Convention
• Marine Fuel Lifecycle GHG Analysis.