A summary of the decisions taken at the sixty-second session of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 62) held from 11 July 2011 to 15 July 2011 is provided below for your reference.

1. Adopted mandatory requirements
The main mandatory requirements adopted at this session are as follows.
(1) Amendments to MARPOL Annex VI: Mandatory requirement of Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) and Ship Efficiency Management Plan (SEEMP) (reference is made to the Attachment 1)
Amendments to MARPOL Annex VI making the Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) and the Ship Efficiency Management Plan (SEEMP) mandatory were adopted, and will become effective from 1 January 2013.(refer to the item 5. below)
(2) Amendments to MARPOL Annex IV: Discharge requirements of sewage treatment in Special Area (reference is made to the Attachment 2)
Amendments to MARPOL Annex IV, making the current requirements for passenger ships in special areas stricter and adding the Baltic Sea to the special areas were adopted, and will become effective from 1 January 2013.
Application date:
- New ships - Contract or Keel laid (in the absence of a building contract): on or after 1 January 2016; or
the delivery of which is two years or more after 1 January 2016
- Existing ships - On or after 1 January 2018

(3) Amendments to MARPOL Annex V: Prohibition of the discharge of garbage from ships (reference is made to the Attachment 3)
Amendments to MARPOL Annex V including the prohibition of the discharge of garbage in principle, except for discharge of cleaning agents in the cargo hold into the sea so long as the substances are not harmful to the marine environment, and the duty to report the discharge of fishing gears to the state, etc. were adopted, and will become effective from 1 January 2013.
Application date:
- On or after 1 January 2013 (for new and existing ships)

(To be continued)