Increasing calls for a further reduction of greenhouse gas emissions have led to a recent proposal for an expansion of the North Atlantic Emissions Control Area (ECA). The three zones proposed are the “Atlantic ECA”, the “Canadian Arctic ECA”, and the “Norwegian ECA”. These are designed to strategically connect with one another across the North Atlantic waters. If these outlined zones were to be approved and go into effect, it would become the largest low-emission shipping area in the world.

Figure 1:  Existing and Proposed ECA's across the North Atlantic through Mediterranean.  The Mediterranean ECA is set to go into effect 1st May, 2025.

The Atlantic ECA would cover the entire Mediterranean Sea, and then extend from the Strait of Gibraltar Northward, and include the waters off the coasts of Spain, Ireland, Iceland, and Greenland. The waters surrounding the Azores, Madeira, and the Canary Islands would also be included as part of the Atlantic ECA, though these would not be interconnected.

Impact on Routing Costs?

There are several ways in which these new areas could affect shipping traffic across the Atlantic. Firstly, as shown above, the current western extent of the UK ECA sits at the exit of the English Channel (05W) would be expanded be several hundred nautical miles further offshore in the East Atlantic.  This could also complicate routes along the west coast of Africa, as vessels to and from Europe would have to navigate through a narrow area between the Azores and Canary Island ECA or switch over to low sulfur fuel.

Though the ECA west of the UK would be extended, there would be a roughly similar difference of distance/time spent in this zone whether a vessel is routing to the north or to the south of the UK.   However, in other scenarios, the excessive distance required to minimize the ECA distance would outweigh the financial benefit of saving LSMGO.

Figure 2:  Above cost comparison calculated assuming Panamax vessel assuming LSFO price of USD $480, LSMGO price of $635, and a hiring rate of $18,000/day.

These new ECAs will require adjusting routing strategies to balance fuel/hiring costs, CII scores, and required laycans, with the challenges posed by weather and maintaining safety. The Mediterranean ECA is set to go into effect 01 May 2025, though the remaining areas will likely not go into effect until at least 2026 or 2027 as further details need to be determined by the IMO.  WRI and their team of meteorologists will continue to work to provide the safest and most cost-effective routes suited to your situation and are available 24/7 to assist with all routing and performance needs.