On January 1st, 2025, The Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden were officially recognized as “Special Areas” by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO)’s International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL). Decided during the 80th Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) session in July 2023 – under IMO Resolutions MEPC.381(80) and MEPC.382(80) – new restrictions came into effect for the protection of these waters against sea pollution from the discharge of garbage, oil, and oily mixtures from ships with a gross tonnage of 400 and above.
Under MARPOL Annexes I and V, for the prevention of pollution by oil and garbage from ships, respectively, the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden – including all their ports and terminals – are offered a higher degree of protection from other seas. Under these stipulations, obligatory requirements are placed on any ship traversing these waters, including pleasure crafts and superyachts. This marks a pivotal development in protecting the biodiverse marine ecosystem of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden as the region continues its plans to establish itself as a global superyacht destination.
Originating in 1998, the original purpose of MARPOL Annex V focused on the discharge of plastics in protected seas and limited the discharge of waste in special areas and coastal waters. Annex V was revised in 2006, the updated rules came into force on January 1st, 2013 with more stringent requirements for garbage disposal. Popular superyacht destinations The Mediterranean Sea and the Wider Caribbean Region were the first cruising grounds afforded this level of protection.
The Red Sea, long inaccessible to pleasure crafts, has welcomed prospects of superyacht tourism in the last few years. Saudi Arabia, forming the Saudi Arabia Red Sea Authority (SRSA) – which issued first-time permits to accommodate foreign-flagged yachts – began work on luxury megaprojects NEOM, The Red Sea Project, and AMAALA, three yachting destinations with infrastructure to accommodate the largest vessels, over 5,000 berths are planned for NEOM alone. The ambitious project opened its first city, Sindalah Island, in October, with 53 superyachts attending the launch. Meanwhile, Egypt has started to invest in its superyacht offerings in 2021 – with a government-supported national regime – opening up the Suez Canal to appeal to the global superyacht fleet through improving its ports and developing marinas, including Ismailia Yacht Marina, the first of three projects, between Port Said and Port Suez.
Both countries have invested in infrastructure and modernized regulations to become yachting-friendly destinations. As a result, the surge of superyacht traffic in the Red Sea has increased in the past few years. According to BOAT, 102 vessels traveled from The Mediterranean to The Red Sea in 2022, 94 in 2023, and 69 in 2024. While the Special Area designation is seminal for protecting these waters, another pressing issue must not be neglected: The omission of The Red Sea and Gulf of Aden from the IMO’s Emission Control Areas. With the influx of yachts visiting the region’s cruising grounds comes an increased amount of carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions that are harming the seas.
In 2021, the IMO started to regulate the emission of Nitrogen Oxide (NOx) by vessels over 500 GT with the enforcement of Tier III emission standards through the introduction of Emission Control Areas (ECA). When a superyacht is in an ECA, NOx emissions are required to be no less than 70% of Tier II regulations. What is, advisably, being used to reduce NOx emissions is the installation of a Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) unit – engines that reduce harmful NOx emissions through an after-treatment process that converts pollutants into natural elements. As it stands, the regulations are applicable to select areas, The Baltic and North Seas, North America, the US Caribbean, as well as the recent additions of The Canadian Arctic and Norwegian Sea. This means that any boat that might pass through must adopt these regulations, with the SCR engine typically powered when the vessel is in an ECA. However until this point, Middle Eastern waters are not classified as ECAs, thus the absence of the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea from the list means that there is no obligation for owners to implement green practices that are mandatory to NOx Emission Control Areas.
Overall, apart from the regulation of NOx emissions, the superyacht industry largely finds itself sitting outside the regulations that are changing the commercial shipping industry into a more energy-efficient sector. Following the MEPC 80, the IMO published the updated Green House Gas (GHG) strategy, which finds more ambitious targets to reduce emissions in the shipping industry by at least 20% by 2030, compared to the 2008 strategy, and by at least 70% by 2040. Although yachting only makes up for 0.7% of shipping emissions as of 2024, rising from 0.3% in 2018, this percentage still accounts for millions of tons of C02. In order to start facilitating change, collecting data on emissions should be adopted.
Energy efficiency tools are used to monitor a ship’s emissions. In the shipping industry, these tools are required fully embraced and also required. The IMO’s Energy Efficiency Existing Ship Index (EEDI), a mandatory measure for ships, has been in place for ten years. Other tools were also introduced in recent years, one of which being the Sea Index by the Superyacht Eco Association – which compares the yacht’s energy efficiency on the basis of technical parameters. The third phase of the Sea Index was launched in July 2023, and now includes capabilities for yachts under 400 gt and above 25 meters in length. Finally, a carbon intensity indicator (CII) was launched in January of 2023, a tool giving each yacht a “score” (ranging from A to E) that would decide the reduction factor that would improve a yacht’s carbon emission. The methodology of determining a vessel’s emissions is figured out through a calculation that takes the yacht’s CO2 emissions and divides it by its transport work (measured in tonne-mile). “ it is clear that yachts will need to align with the ambitions of the IMO if it is to be seen as a responsible industry.” writes Captain Malcolm Jacotine of Superyacht2030.com. “But…this will all be meaningless if we do not start collecting emissions data (by Flag or independent organization) so we can benchmark the industry and demonstrate positive change. I’m sure it’s there, but it’s madness that we do not know by how much!”
However, it should be noted that the industry is taking proactive steps to put the superyacht industry in the conversation. The Superyacht Builders Association (SYBAss)’s recently submitted information paper on superyacht policies towards reducing GHG emissions to the IMO, for example, already holds much promise for the future of sustainability from a regulatory front. SYBAss joined the IMO’s GHG Working Group in 2020, with the next session Intersessional Working Group meeting taking place in February 2025. “Hopefully, as SYBAss continues to work with IMO we will see more formalised regulatory efforts to include superyachts, progressing the collective effort to reduce our negative impacts.” writes Megan Hickling in a piece for Superyacht News. “The scope of these measures is likely to increase to include more yachts in the future, and so it’s better to have a seat at the table to make this inclusion the most appropriate for yachts rather than methods being devised that miscalculate a greater impact which yachts would have to pay for.” A seat at the table would definitely allow the superyacht market to thrive whilst also keeping mindful of cruising without harming the environment. The designation of The Red Sea and Gulf of Aden as Special Areas is a promising development, but hopefully only the start.