The proposal, which was led by Portugal, will cover areas of the Atlantic waters adjacent to Portugal, Spain, France, the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Faroe Islands, Iceland, and Denmark. It aims to protect regions where roughly 193 million people currently live, as well as 148 UNESCO locations, including 17 crucial habitats for marine animals such as dolphins and whales.

The emission control areas are key instruments in tackling air pollution from ships, as they mandate the use of fuels with lower sulphur content and the adoption of cleaner technologies. This will require ships navigating the area to use fuels with a maximum of 0.1% of sulphur, lower than then the current 0.5% limit, reducing its emissions by roughly 64%.

The association states that the creation of this controlled emission area will also contribute to reducing the risk of heavy fuel oil spills, which are incredibly harmful to marine ecosystems.

The proposal was led by Portugal, and is expected to come into effect March, 2027.