Polar Code at the top of the IMO agenda
During MEPC 66th Session, IMO agreed which ships are to be covered by the future environmental regulations for voyages in polar areas.
An international set of regulations on navigation in polar areas, referred to as the Polar Code, is still at the top of the IMO agenda. The Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) intensively debated the environmental provisions in the Polar Code. The IMO decided, inter alia, that the environmental chapter of the Code is to apply to the same ships as the individual chapters of the MARPOL Convention. This means that the scope of application of the safety and environmental chapters of the Polar Code is not the same since the safety chapter applies to ships covered by the SOLAS Convention where the scope of application is somewhat narrower.
The goal is still to finalise the Polar Code as quickly as possible. Therefore, a working group meeting will quite extraordinarily be held during the week up to the next session of the MEPC in October this year in order to solve any outstanding issues. Now, it is expected that the Polar Code can be approved by the MEPC in the spring of 2015. Denmark will continue to contribute actively to the finalisation of the Polar Code.
Source: DMA
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Draft Polar Code environmental provisions reviewed The MEPC reviewed the environmental requirements under the proposed draft mandatory International Code for ships operating in polar waters (Polar Code). It also considered the proposed draft amendments to MARPOL to make the Polar Code mandatory. A correspondence group was established, to finalize the draft MARPOL amendments and the environmental requirements and to report to the next session (MEPC 67) in October 2014. The MEPC also agreed to request the IMO Council to approve the holding of an intersessional working group ahead of MEPC 67. |
| Draft Polar Code |
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The draft Polar Code covers the full range of design, construction, equipment, operational, training, search and rescue and environmental protection matters relevant to ships operating in the inhospitable waters surrounding the two poles. Environmental provisions include requirements covering:
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