Una nuova regola internazionale sul contenuto di zolfo nel carburante delle navi: analisi della recente riforma “IMO 2020”

On the first of January 2020, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) amended regulation 14 of the MARPOL Convention, Annex VI, regarding the prevention of atmospheric pollution from ships. More in particular, the revised text of the disposition provides a new delimitation of the percentage of Sulphur contained in the oil used by ships from 3,5% m/m to 0,5% m/m. The introduction of new international prescription (“IMO 2020”) aims to reduce the environmental impact of shipping activities. While the consequences of “IMO 2020” are constantly analyzed from an economical perspective, until now few attention was paid to the legal relevance of the adoption of this international rule. This paper deals with the implications of “IMO 2020” to the international legal system on the prevention of pollution from ships. Following a brief description of the aforementioned international legal framework, this paper analyzes the normative content of “IMO 2020” and its enforcement through States actions. Finally, it reports some conclusions regarding the possible consequences deriving from the entry into force of such new limit of Sulphur emissions provided by MARPOL Convention Annex VI.