Draft amendments were approved at the International Maritime Organisation (IMO)’s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) last week and will now go forward for adoption at the next meeting of the committee, which is planned for May next year.

That would mean the new regulation would enter into force in January 2017 at the earliest.

The Polar Code covers the design and construction of ships as well as operational, environment­al protection, and search-and-rescue matters.

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