Emission control area

Emission control areas (ECAs), or sulfur emission control areas (SECAs), are sea areas in which stricter controls were established to minimize airborne emissions from ships as defined by Annex VI of the 1997 MARPOL Protocol.

The emissions specifically include SOx, NOx, ODSs and VOCs and the regulations came into effect in May 2005. Annex VI contains provisions for two sets of emission and fuel quality requirements regarding SOx and PM, or NOx, a global requirement and more stringent controls in special emission control areas (ECA). The regulations stems from concerns about "local and global air pollution and environmental problems" in regard to the shipping industry's contribution. In January 2020, a revised more stringent Annex VI was enforced in the emission control areas with significantly lowered emission limits.

As of 2011 there were four existing ECAs: the Baltic Sea, the North Sea, the North American ECA, including most of US and Canadian coast and the US Caribbean ECA. Also other areas may be added via protocol defined in Annex VI. ECAs with nitrogen oxides thresholds are denoted as nitrogen oxide emission control areas (NECAs).

Sulfur limits for fuel in SECA
before 1 July 2010	1.50% m/m
between 1 July 2010 and 1 January 2015	1.00% m/m
after 1 January 2015	0.10% m/m

General sulfur limits in other sea areas
before 1 January 2012	4.50% m/m
between 1 January 2012 and 1 January 2020	3.50% m/m
after 1 January 2020	0.50% m/m

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