Amendments to the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) Annex VI enter into force on 1 November 2022. Developed under the framework of the Initial IMO Strategy on Reduction of GHG Emissions from Ships agreed in 2018, these technical and operational amendments require ships to improve their energy efficiency in the short term and thereby reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.

From 1 January 2023 it will be mandatory for all ships to calculate their attained Energy Efficiency Existing Ship Index (EEXI) to measure their energy efficiency and to initiate the collection of data for the reporting of their annual operational carbon intensity indicator (CII) and CII rating.

IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim said: “the short-term GHG reduction measures, adopted in 2021, form a comprehensive set of amendments to MARPOL Annex VI, which provide important building blocks for IMO’s future mid-term greenhouse gas reduction measures.”

“Decarbonizing international shipping is a priority issue for IMO and we are all committed to acting together in revising our initial strategy and enhancing our ambition,” Mr. Lim said. “These latest amendments build on energy-efficiency measures which were first adopted in 2011 and strengthened since – the CII and EEXI measures represent the next stage in our work to meet the targets set in the Initial IMO GHG Strategy.”

“IMO Member States are currently actively engaged in the process of revising the Initial IMO Strategy on Reduction of GHG Emissions from Ships with a view to adoption of a revised Strategy in mid-2023. Member States are also engaged in developing a basket of candidate mid-term measures, including technical and economic elements, that will set global shipping on an ambitious path to phasing out GHG emissions towards the middle of this century. We are, in tandem, working to support Member States in their implementation of measures and to ensure that no one is left behind in this transition towards a decarbonized future for shipping” Mr. Lim said.

The amendments to MARPOL Annex VI are in force from 1 November 2022. The requirements for EEXI and CII certification come into effect on 1 January 2023. This means that the first annual reporting will be completed in 2023, with initial CII ratings given in 2024.