Environment and Energy
Great Lakes environmental regulations model for global ocean protection
The High Seas Treaty entered into force on 17 January 2026, establishing global ocean protection frameworks. The Great Lakes, spanning 244,106 km2 between the US and Canada, have pioneered stringent environmental regulations for decades. The EPA's 2013 Vessel General Permit (VGP) requires vessels 79ft and larger to use environmentally acceptable lubricants. Thordon Bearings reports conventional oil-lubricated propeller shafts release approximately 80 million litres per year of oil pollution, while water-lubricated systems now operate on more than 120 vessels in the Great Lakes.
