RECALLING Article 38(a) of the Convention on the International Maritime Organization
concerning the functions of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (the Committee)
conferred upon it by international conventions for the prevention and control of marine
pollution from ships,
RECALLING ALSO that, at its fifty-eighth session, the Committee adopted, by resolution MEPC.176(58), a revised MARPOL Annex
VI which significantly strengthens the emission limits for sulphur oxides
(SOX),
NOTING that regulation 4 of MARPOL Annex
VI allows the use of an alternative compliance method at least as effective
in terms of emission reductions as that required by the Annex, including any of the
standards set forth in regulation 14, taking into account guidelines developed by the
Organization,
RECALLING that, at its fifty-ninth session, the Committee adopted, by resolution MEPC.184(59), the 2009 Guidelines for exhaust gas
cleaning systems,
RECALLING ALSO that, at its sixty-eighth session, the Committee adopted, by resolution MEPC.259(68), the 2015 Guidelines for exhaust gas
cleaning systems (hereinafter referred to as the "2015 EGCS Guidelines"),
RECOGNIZING the need to update the 2015 EGCS Guidelines,
HAVING CONSIDERED, at its seventy-seventh session, draft amendments to the 2015 EGCS
Guidelines, prepared by the Sub-Committee on Pollution Prevention and Response at its
seventh session,
1 ADOPTS the 2021 Guidelines for exhaust gas cleaning systems (hereinafter
referred to as the "2021 EGCS Guidelines"), as set out in the annex to the present
resolution;
2 INVITES Administrations to implement the 2021 EGCS Guidelines and apply them to exhaust
gas cleaning systems installed on ships the keels of which are laid or which are at a
similar stage of construction on or after 1 June 2022; or exhaust gas cleaning systems
installed on ships the keels of which are laid or which are at a similar stage of
construction before 1 June 2022 which have a contractual delivery date of EGCS to the
ship on or after 1 June 2022 or, in the absence of a contractual delivery date, the
actual delivery of the exhaust gas cleaning system to the ship on or after 1 June 2022;
or amendments, as those specified in paragraphs 4.2.2.4 or 5.6.3 of the 2021 EGCS
Guidelines, to existing exhaust gas cleaning systems undertaken on or after 1 June 2022,
when allowing the use of an exhaust gas cleaning system in accordance with regulation 4
of MARPOL Annex VI;
3 REQUESTS Parties to MARPOL Annex
VI and other Member Governments to bring the 2021 EGCS Guidelines to the
attention of shipowners, ship operators, shipbuilders, marine diesel engine
manufacturers and any other interested groups;
4 INVITES Administrations to provide for discharge water data collection as described in
appendix 3 of these Guidelines, and to also apply that appendix when undertaking related
sampling from exhaust gas cleaning systems that have been approved in accordance with
the earlier versions of the EGCS Guidelines;
5 AGREES to keep these Guidelines under review in the light of experience gained with
their application; and
6 ALSO AGREES that these Guidelines supersede the 2015 EGCS Guidelines adopted by resolution MEPC.259(68).