US Congress passes Marpol VI
The US Congress has passed H.R. 802, the Maritime Pollution Prevention Act, which will now be transmitted to President Bush for signature. The legislation will implement MARPOL Annex VI , giving the US a voice in the IMO when the matter of emissions comes up for debate in October. Kurt Nagle, president of the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) welcomed the move."While land-based emissions and some marine emissions are the responsibility of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, AAPA believes that an international process is the most effective for vessels, the majority of which are flagged in countries other than the U.S.," he said. "Considering that emissions from ocean-going ships are predicted to grow by more than 70 percent over the next 15 years, it's imperative that meaningful and effective air emissions standards be adopted to improve air quality."