The Presidential Decree 979 and Marine Pollution Decree of 1976 were intended to protect marine and coastal elements from maritime pollution, yet due to their generality and datedness today, they are no longer efficient at regulating current environmental issues. For this reason, new MARPOL Annex VI legislation was introduced in 2005 and updated in 2010 to restrict further emissions in the emission control areas (ECAs). With talks of further regulations being rolled out in 2015 and 2020, the maritime industry is facing the harsh reality that avoiding fuel costs by compromising quality is no longer acceptable. In fact, from January 1, 2015 ships travelling the ECAs are forbidden from burning any fuel with a sulphur content of more than 0.1%, which is a 10% decrease from current limits.
