On 29 October 2026, the Government submitted to Parliament a proposal on amending acts relating to environmental protection in maritime transport. The proposal would implement the EU Ship-Source Pollution Directive, introduce a new environmental violation penalty for ship-source pollution and bring into force the amendments adopted by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to the Annex of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL).
New penalty for ship-source pollution to address environmental violations
In 2024, the European Union adopted a directive amending the Ship-Source Pollution Directive. The amendments require Member States to prohibit in their legislation any discharges from ships that violate the MARPOL Convention. The Convention aims to prevent marine pollution from ships. It covers the discharges of oil, chemicals and sewage as well as air pollution, and discharges of garbage and harmful substances carried in packaged form.
The Government proposes to implement the Directive by introducing a new prohibition on the discharge of packaged harmful substances and a penalty for ship-source pollution. At national level, the regulation would be extended to apply to inland waterway transport. The ship-source pollution penalty would cover blackwater and greywater discharges. The penalty could be imposed by the Finnish Border Guard on shipping companies for unlawful discharges from vessels. The amount of the penalty would be determined within the statutory minimum and maximum limits, taking account of the circumstances and other factors laid down in the legislation. The imposition of the penalty would not require proof of intent or negligence.
The government proposal also contains some other amendments to the Act on Environmental Protection in Maritime Transport. For example, provisions concerning bans on discharges into water would be clarified and the ban on discharges from sulphur scrubbers would be extended to apply to inland waters.
Amendments to international air pollution control
The proposal would also adopt and bring into force amendments introduced by IMO to MARPOL Annex VI on air pollution control.
The amendments would designate Canada’s Arctic sea areas, the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic as Emission Control Areas for sulphur and nitrogen oxides. The amendments would not have any significant impacts on the operation of Finnish shipping companies, as similar requirements already apply to the Baltic Sea and the North Sea. In addition, changes would be made to IMO’s data collection system for ship fuel consumption.
What’s next?
Parliament will first hold a referral debate on the government proposal in a plenary session. The proposal will then proceed to a committee reading. Following the committee report, the debate will continue in a plenary session.
The amendments required by the Ship-Source Pollution Directive must be brought into force by 6 July 2027.
Inquiries:
Laura Sarlin, Senior Ministerial Adviser, tel. +358 295 342 063, laura.sarlin@gov.fi