During the meeting, a number of key environmental issues were discussed – including the transport of plastic pellets, biofouling on ship hulls, reduction of NOx emissions, management of sewage from ships, wash water from exhaust gas cleaning systems (scrubbers), and the impact of black carbon in the Arctic.
Key outcomes of the meeting included:
- The IMO Action Plan for the Prevention of Marine Plastic Litter – with a specific focus on the transport of plastic pellets – was approved. Work on amending binding instruments to reduce the environmental risks associated with the transport of plastic pellets is ongoing.
- The 2017 Guidance on Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) – aimed at reducing the quantities of nitrogen oxides (NOx) through the use of a catalyst – was updated.
- The Guidance on In-water Cleaning of Biofouling on Ship Hulls was approved.