Special areas means sea area where for recognized technical reasons in relation to its oceanographic and ecological condition and to the particular character of its traffic the adoption of special mandatory methods for the prevention of sea pollution by oil/NLS/garbage is required.
Annex VI Regulations for the Prevention of Air Pollution from Ships establishes certain sulfur oxide (SOX) Emission Control Areas with more stringent controls on sulfur emissions and nitrogen oxides (NOX) Emission Control Areas for Tier III NOX emission standards.
For the purpose of Annex 1, following are the special areas:
1. The Mediterranean sea area
2. The Baltic sea area
3. The Black sea area
4. The Red sea area
5. The Gulf area
6. The Gulf of Aden area
7. The Antarctic Area
8. The North-West European Waters
9. Oman area of the Arabian Sea
10. Southern South African Water
For the purpose of Annex 2, following are the special areas:
1. The Antarctic Sea Area
For the purpose of Annex 4, following are the special areas:
1. The Baltic Sea
For the purpose of Annex 5, following are the special areas:
1. The Mediterranean sea area
2. The Baltic sea area
3. The Black sea area
4. The Red sea area
5. The Gulf area
6. The North Sea area
7. The Antarctic Area ( South of Lat 60 deg S)
8. The Wider Caribbean Region including Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Seas
For the purpose of Annex 6, following are the special areas- ECA ( Emission Control Areas ):