The Marine Environment Protection Committee

 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,

 NOTING article 16 of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, 1973 (hereinafter referred to as the “1973 Convention”), article VI of the Protocol of 1978 relating to the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, 1973 (hereinafter referred to as the “1978 Protocol”) and article 4 of the Protocol of 1997 to amend the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, 1973, as modified by the Protocol of 1978 relating thereto (herein after referred to as the “1997 Protocol”), which together specify the amendment procedure of the 1997 Protocol and confer upon the appropriate body of the Organization the function of considering and adopting amendments to the 1973 Convention, as modified by the 1978 and 1997 Protocols,

 NOTING ALSO that, by the 1997 Protocol, Annex VI entitled Regulations for the Prevention of Air Pollution from Ships (hereinafter referred to as “Annex VI”) is added to the 1973 Convention,

 HAVING CONSIDERED the draft amendments to MARPOL Annex VI,

  .1 ADOPTS, in accordance with article 16(2)(d) of the 1973 Convention, the amendments to Annex VI, the text of which is set out at Annex to the present resolution;

  .2 DETERMINES, in accordance with article 16(2)(f)(iii) of the 1973 Convention, that the amendments shall be deemed to have been accepted on 1 January 2010, unless prior to that date, not less than one-third of the Parties or Parties the combined merchant fleets of which constitute not less than 50 per cent of the gross tonnage of the world’s merchant fleet, have communicated to the Organization their objection to the amendments;

  .3 INVITES the Parties to note that, in accordance with article 16(2)(g)(ii) of the 1973 Convention, the said amendments shall enter into force on 1 July 2010 upon their acceptance in accordance with paragraph 2 above;

  .4 REQUESTS the Secretary-General, in conformity with article 16(2)(e) of the 1973 Convention, to transmit to all Parties to the 1973 Convention, as modified by the 1978 and 1997 Protocols, certified copies of the present resolution and the text of the amendments contained in the Annex;

  .5 REQUESTS FURTHER the Secretary-General to transmit to the Members of the Organization which are not Parties to the 1973 Convention, as modified by the 1978 and 1997 Protocols, copies of the present resolution and its Annex; and

  .6 INVITES the Parties to MARPOL Annex VI and other Member Governments to bring the amendments to MARPOL Annex VI to the attention of shipowners, ship operators, shipbuilders, marine diesel engine manufacturers, marine fuel suppliers and any other interested groups.