Energy Efficiency and GHG high on the agenda
The 63rd session of the IMO Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) has been held this week in London. BIMCO representatives attended the weeklong meeting coming to closure later today.
Ship energy efficiency and Green House Gasses (GHG) are high on the agenda and have been atthe core of the IMO’s work this week trying to develop and enact regulatory measures aiming at reducing the emission of greenhouse gases and air pollutants.
Recycling of ships
The Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships was adopted in May 2009 by IMO at a diplomatic conference held in Hong Kong, and IMO is in the process of developing guidelines to assist stakeholders to fulfill the requirements in the convention.
MEPC 63 finalised two IMO guidelines: Guidelines on safe and environmentally sound recycling of ships and Guidelines on the authorization of Ship Recycling Facilities. The Guidelines on safe and environmentally sound recycling of ships provide ship recycling facilities with recommendations for the safe and environmentally sound recycling of ships and implementation of the Hong Kong Convention. The guidelines on the Authorization of Ship Recycling Facilities gives administrations recommendations for establishing mechanisms for authorizing Ship Recycling Facilities in accordance with the requirements of the Hong Kong Convention.
Already finalised Guidelines for the development of the Inventory of Hazardous Materials (IHM) where shipowners are advised on the development and maintenance of the IHM, which ships to be sold for recycling will be required to carry and which will be specific to each ship. The Convention provides a list of hazardous materials where installation or use is prohibited or restricted during construction and trading of the ship. Ships will be required to have an initial survey to verify the inventory of hazardous materials, additional surveys during the life of the ship, and a final survey prior to recycling.
Also, Guidelines for the development of the Ship Recycling Plan (SRP) have already been finalised. These guidelines deal with the requirement on how ship recycling facilities should provide an SRP to specify the method in which each ship will be recycled, depending on its particulars and its inventory. Parties to the ship recycling Convention will have to take effective measures to ensure that ship recycling facilities under their jurisdiction comply with the Hong Kong Convention.
A few guidelines still need to be finalised:
– Guidelines for survey and certification under the Hong Kong Convention
– Guidelines for inspection of ships under the Hong Kong Convention
A correspondence group will develop these guidelines, and BIMCO will participate in the work that lies ahead. Furthermore BIMCO, together with other industry stakeholders, is in the process of preparing a submission for the next session of MEPC (MEPC 64) on the need to introduce threshold values and exemptions of hazardous materials to be used during the development of the IHM.
Ballast Water Management
A paper on the Present status of availability of the Ballast Water Management Systems, indicating a possible lack of resources for installation/retrofitting and an unknown production capacity for ballast water management systems might prevent a timely implementation of the Ballast Water Management Convention, led the Committee to initiate the development of a draft template with “Question to Shipowners/Operators” regarding their current fleet’s status in terms of installed ballast water management systems.
A Ballast Water Review Group was, among others, looking at issues related to approval of Ballast Water Management Plans and issues arising from the GESAMP (Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Environmental Protection) Ballast Water Working Group on Active Substances.
Green House Gas
MEPC 63 continued its work to tackle GHG emission from shipping. Once again, a full agenda on technical, operational and market based measures was up for debate at IMO. It should be recalled that MEPC at its last meeting adopted the EEDI for new ships and SEEMP for all ships in a controversial row call procedure amongst the parties to MARPOL Annex VI.
Although the parties, with an overwhelming majority, voted for the amendments at MEPC 62, it is clear that many IMO members are unhappy with the decision. The continued deliberations in the Committee are thus hampered by a general disagreement among members as to which countries should be burdened by IMO GHG measures.
Despite the tense atmosphere in the committee, necessary progress was made to allow for the EEDI regulation to enter into force by 1 January 2013. The calculation guidelines were finished and adopted at the meeting, and the changes made are being implemented in a new version of the BIMCO EEDI Calculator that will be released next week.
Of special importance is an introduction of the possibility to limit a ship’s propulsion power for EEDI purposes. In essence, this means that a larger engine may be installed than what is limited by EEDI, and this feature holds the potential to solve the issue of “underpowered ships” andredundancy of propulsion, as well as several other related issues.
Intercargo had raised the point that the EEDI requirements in the new chapter 4 to MARPOL Annex VI are intended for new ships only and that any retroactive application of the requirement could not and should not be attempted to existing ships. The Committee confirmed this view and consequently requested the submitters of efficiency based MBM proposals to redraft their proposals in a manner that they do not refer to the MARPOL implemented EEDI.
In an effort to progress work on market based measures, the Committee considers to initiate an impact assessment that can fully reveal the impact on shipping, trade flows, developing countries and any other impact an MBM may have. This work is a necessary step to allow for a possible future decision within the Committee if IMO should implement an MBM and if affirmative, which one to select.
Interpretations of, and amendments to, MARPOL and related instruments
After reviewing a paper co-sponsored by BIMCO related to the Scope of application of MARPOL Annex I regulation 12 – Tanks for oil residues (sludge) as amended by resolution MEPC.187(59), the Committee decided to send the paper to the IMO’s Subcommittee on Design and Equipment (DE) for further deliberations.
Other important items featured on the agenda this week including, but not limited to: inadequacy of reception facilities, noise from commercial shipping and the role of the human element.
Source: BIMCO
