Iceland Accedes to Air Pollution Treaty

Iceland has ratified the International Maritime Organization (IMO) treaty covering the prevention of air pollution from ships.

Stefán Haukur Jóhannesson, Ambassador of Iceland to the United Kingdom, met IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim at IMO Headquarters, London, on November 22 to deposit the instruments of accession.

The recent ratification brings the total number of contracting states to 89 which represent more than 96% of world merchant shipping tonnage.

The MARPOL Annex VI treaty limits the main air pollutants contained in ships’ exhaust gas, including sulfur oxides and nitrous oxides, and prohibits deliberate emissions of ozone depleting substances. It also includes energy-efficiency measures aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions from ships.

The regulation was first adopted in 1997. A revised  Annex VI was adopted in 2005 and it entered into force in 2010, phasing in a progressive reduction in sulfur oxide from ships and further reductions in nitrogen oxide emissions from marine engines.