UK ponders widening ECA boundaries to all of its waters.

摘要

The European Emissions Control Area (ECA) currently covers the Baltic Sea, the English Channel, and the North Sea, requiring ships in those waters use fuel with a sulfur content of 0.1% or lower (as of 2015). The government could work with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to attempt extending the existing ECA borders to the north and west of the UK or it could mandate a 0.1%-sulfur limit for its own waters by passing a domestic law. The UK Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs published a new strategy on May 23, saying it will begin a consultation on the ECA issue by March 2019. The strategy also mandates that major British ports develop plans within a year related to emissions reductions from shore and ship activities.