The International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) Sub-Committee on Pollution Prevention and Response has agreed on the draft 2025 Action Plan to Address Marine Plastic Litter from Ships.
The maritime organisation said in a statement that the milestone had been achieved at a recent committee meeting held at its headquarters in London from 27 to 31 January 2025.
The 2025 action plan was prepared following a revision of the initial action plan that was approved in 2018, taking into account actions that have been completed since its approval. The next step is to get approval for the plan from the Marine Environment Protection Committee when it meets in April.
The main outcomes of the plan include the reduction of the contribution from fishing vessels to marine plastic litter; the reduction of shipping's contribution to marine plastic litter; enhanced public awareness, education and seafarer training.
In addition, outcomes also include the improvement of the effectiveness of port reception facilities and treatment in reducing marine plastic litter and an improved understanding of the contribution of ships to marine plastic litter.
The plan also seeks to strengthen international cooperation on the matter and includes dedicated action for the development of mandatory measures to reduce the environmental risks of plastic pellets transported by sea in freight containers.
“To inform future discussions on the legal framework for introducing such measures, the sub-committee developed a table outlining various considerations, including advantages, limitations and impacts relating to possible amendments to mandatory instruments linked to the carriage of plastic pellets by sea,” the IMO said.
In addition, the committee continued discussions around setting up a database hosted by the IMO, to be used for reporting abandoned or lost fishing gear.
“The accidental loss or other exceptional discharges or losses of fishing gear from ships are a significant contributor to plastic pollution in the ocean,” the IMO said.
The committee endorsed the recommendation that data to be reported should include: ship particulars (such as name, length and type of vessel), event particulars (the position where the fishing gear was lost or discharged, date and time of the incident) and details about the fishing gear.
Member States and international organisations have been invited to submit written proposals on the specifics of the agreed data to be reported to IMO to a future session of the sub-committee.
