The South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) Rule 1142 relating to gaseous leaks from tank vessels will continue to be enforced despite the COVID-19 pandemic.
The South Coast AQMD issued an Advisory Notice on 15 April 2020, outlining temporary relief from certain administrative requirements.
However, this is only by way of a 60-day extension to non-emission requirements,
…the West of England P&I Club clarified.
An owner must submit extension requests for testing, certification and report submission deadlines deemed administrative in nature.
AQMD Rule 1142 (Marine Tank Vessels) bans any liquid or gaseous leaks from “all hatches, pressure relief valves, connections, gauging ports and vents and other equipment associated with a loading, lightering, ballasting, or housekeeping event” from tank vessels while in California Regulated Waters.
For tank vessels operating in the region, UK Club has earlier recommended the following:
- If possible, vessels should wait for berthing outside of California state waters
- If tank pressures start to rise while the vessel is at anchorage, employ saltwater cooling to the decks. In accordance with the Vessel General Permit (VGP), the decks must be free of oil and grease prior to the discharge of any water overboard. The start and stop times should be logged in order to show due diligence for reducing the pressure in the tanks.
- If a P/V valve or Mast riser releases gases into the atmosphere, we strongly encourage you to self-report the release. It should also be noted whether the release was necessary for the safety of the vessel as part of the design of the pressure relief system. AQMD has stated that selfreporting is considered when determining whether to issue violation notices and fines.
Find more details on the AQMD Rule 1142 by law firm Peacock Piper here:
