AMO Currents - U.S. Coast Guard issues guidelines for U.S. emission control areas compliance and enforcement

AMO Currents - Posted: November 21, 2019

U.S. Coast Guard issues guidelines for U.S. emission control areas compliance and enforcement

The U.S. Coast Guard has released a policy letter containing guidelines for compliance with and enforcement of emission control areas pertaining to vessels operating in U.S. waters. The guidelines address specific emissions requirements, and regulations regarding fuel oil availability and quality.

The policy letter outlines the Coast Guard's methods and procedures for verifying compliance with MARPOL Annex VI Regulation 14 - Sulfur Oxides (SOx) and Particulate Matter (PM) - and Regulation 18 (Fuel Oil Availability and Quality), and how violations identified by the Coast Guard regarding these two regulations are documented and referred to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for enforcement.

The complete policy letter is available online.