The fight against ocean plastics: Can new IMO regulations achieve zero emissions by 2030?

ChinaReplas T&P 2025

The 3rd Plastic Pollution Prevention and Control Theory and Practice Forum

Theme: Philosophy of Plastics

According to the official website of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) , the 12th meeting of the IMO Pollution Prevention and Response Subcommittee (PPR12) was held at the IMO headquarters in London from January 27 to 31, 2025. The focus was on reviewing the preparations for chemical safety and pollution risk assessment and amendments to the IBC Code, revisions to MARPOL Annex II, development of guidelines for underwater cleaning-related matters, reduction of the impact of black carbon emissions from international ships on the Arctic region, EGCS effluent discharge assessment, SCR guidelines revision, IBTS guidelines review and IOPP certificate and Oil Record Book revision, MARPOL Annex IV and related guidelines revision, follow-up work on the Action Plan for Dealing with Marine Plastic Litter from Ships, and other issues. Three working groups on marine biosafety, prevention of air pollution from ships, and marine plastic litter from ships were established, as well as two drafting groups for bunkering vessels carrying biofuel mixtures and MARPOL Annex IV revisions.

Editor's Note

This article reveals a multi-dimensional framework for marine plastic governance by combing through the latest draft of the 2025 Action Plan on Marine Plastic Litter from Ships and global practices: from fishing boats and ports to international cooperation, it systematically explains the entire pollution chain ; it not only shows technological optimism (such as blockchain traceability), but also faces the contradictions of North-South differences and implementation difficulties ; it proposes an innovative path of "circular economy + data governance" to echo the forward-looking nature of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 14) . However, the funding gap in developing countries has not been fully quantified, and the ecological risks of plastic substitutes have not been deeply explored. Overall, the IMO Action Plan provides a milestone blueprint for marine protection, but its effectiveness will depend on whether countries can transcend short-term interests and practice the concept of "ocean community with a shared future" .

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The global challenge of the ocean plastic crisis

Marine plastic pollution has become a focus of global environmental governance. According to the United Nations Environment Programme, approximately 8 million tonnes of plastic waste enters the ocean every year, with ship activities (including fishing and shipping) contributing significantly. IMO data shows that abandoned fishing gear accounts for 10%-20% of marine plastic waste, and frequent plastic particle leakage incidents have further exacerbated the ecological disaster. Without intervention, the total weight of ocean plastic could exceed that of fish by 2050.

In this context, IMO adopted the draft of the 2025 Action Plan on Marine Plastic Litter from Ships in January 2025, planning to achieve five major goals by 2030, including "reducing plastic emissions from fisheries and shipping" and "enhancing port processing capacity", marking the entry of global marine plastic governance into a systematic and tackling stage . The draft is planned to be submitted to the 83rd session of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 83) held from April 7 to 11, 2025 for review , with a view to obtaining final approval.

The 2025 Action Plan on Marine Plastic Litter from Ships is a revision of the initial version adopted in 2018, taking into account the progress of the implementation of relevant measures in recent years. The various measures proposed in the draft are expected to be completed by 2030, with the main goals including:

1. Reducing plastic waste from fisheries
2. Reducing shipping’s contribution to marine plastic pollution
3. Raise public environmental awareness and strengthen seafarer training and education
4. Optimize port reception facilities and improve plastic waste treatment efficiency
5. Raising awareness of the issue of plastic emissions from ships
6. Promote international collaboration and resource sharing

In addition, the IMO Pollution Prevention and Response Subcommittee also updated the implementation timetable of the action plan, classifying the tasks into short-term, medium-term, long-term and continuous categories to ensure the gradual achievement of the goals.

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Core measures of the action plan:

A systematic solution from source to end

2.1. Compulsory measures and technological innovation

• Plastic pellet transportation control : The draft requires the formulation of mandatory rules to standardize the leakage prevention standards for the transportation of plastic pellets in freight containers, and launches the "Best Practice Guidelines for Cleaning Plastic Pellets" to clarify the emergency response and cost-sharing mechanisms.
• Abandoned fishing gear tracking system : IMO will establish a global database to record the time, location and type of lost fishing gear, and use blockchain technology to achieve full-process traceability to provide a basis for responsibility determination.

2.2. Port facilities and circular economy

IMO has promoted global ports to upgrade their waste treatment capacity through the "Guidelines on the Technical and Economic Feasibility of Plastic Waste Port Reception Facilities". For example, Norway and Zhejiang Province of China have cooperated in piloting the "blue cycle" model, which converts marine plastics into textile raw materials through subsidies and market-oriented operations, and has recycled more than 10,000 tons of waste. Small ports can cover costs by charging ship berthing fees, while large ports are exploring ways to make profits from waste resource utilization.

2.3. Public awareness and industry transformation

• Fishermen’s participation mechanism : Zhejiang, China, mobilized fishermen to recycle garbage through the “Fishermen’s Wife Association”, and encouraged more than 100 fishing boats to join in with low-cost battery replacement and subsidies, with the average annual recycling volume of each boat reaching 5 kilograms.
• Crew training program : IMO requires that plastic management be included in the compulsory courses for seafarers, and environmental protection cases be promoted through social media to enhance industry responsibility.

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Global collaboration and governance challenges

3.1. North-South cooperation and technology transfer

Developing countries have become the hardest hit by plastic leakage due to their weak infrastructure. Through the GloLitter Partnership Project, IMO exports unmanned salvage vessels and other equipment to small island countries and establishes a pollution control fund. China proposes to promote South-South cooperation through the "equipment export + case replication" model.

3.2. Regulatory conflicts and enforcement challenges

Although IMO requires ships of 400 gross tonnage and above to use garbage record books from 2025, some countries still face insufficient enforcement resources. In addition, global plastic pollution negotiations (such as INC-5) have reached a deadlock due to divergent interests between producer and consumer countries, highlighting the fragility of international consensus.

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Future Outlook: The Key Path from Vision to Implementation

IMO plans to finalize the details of the action plan at the MEPC 83 meeting in April 2025 and initiate the revision process of the Annex to the MARPOL Convention. If the measures are fully implemented, it is expected that plastic emissions from ships can be reduced by 50% by 2030. However, success still depends on:

• Technological innovation : Promote automated equipment such as the Netherlands’ “Ocean Cleaner” to reduce waste recycling costs.
• Market mechanisms : Internalize environmental costs through carbon pricing and plastic taxes.
• Data-driven : Use satellites and drones to monitor garbage distribution and dynamically optimize management strategies.

ChinaReplas T&P 2025

The 3rd Plastic Pollution Prevention and Control Theory and Practice Forum

Conference theme: Philosophy of plastics

Sponsor: China Synthetic Resin Association

March 18, 2025 , 19:00-23:00 , Suzhou

Conference language: Chinese and English simultaneous interpretation