The seventieth session of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) was held at IMO Headquarters from 24 to 28 October 2016, chaired by Mr. A. Domínguez (Panama). The Vice-Chair of the Committee, Mr. H. Saito (Japan), was also present. The Committee adopted the agenda for the session (MEPC 70/1) and, having noted the annotations thereto (MEPC 70/1/1), agreed to be guided by the provisional timetable set out in annex 2 of the document, on the understanding that it was subject to adjustments depending on the progress made each day. The agenda, as adopted, including a list of documents considered under each agenda item, is set out in document MEPC 70/INF.42.