BIMCO joined Round Table associations and other stakeholders at the 23rd Annual meeting of the Asian Shipowners’ Forum held in Otsu, Japan on 20 May 2014 where the issues of places of refuge and ballast water management were amongst the top concerns of the gathered delegations.
Ballast Water Management (BWM) Convention
Thirty nine States representing 30.25% (4.75% short of the tonnage threshold) of world shipping tonnage had ratified the Ballast Water Management Convention but unfortunately not all the available ballast water treatment systems approved by IMO consistently reach a level that meets the D2 discharge performance standard. The ASF is therefore wary that shipowners may be at risk of having to replace fitted equipment if the systems are subsequently found to be unsuitable. To this end, the ASF strongly supports the proposed review of the approval and performance standards at the IMO.
While maintaining that the IMO is the rightful forum to develop international regulations and strongly discouraging countries or regions from taking unilateral actions, the ASF is extremely concerned about the very severe insurance implications that could arise due to the different BWM legislation being enforced in the United States under the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the United States Coast Guard (USCG). For this reason, the ASF is pleased to hear of Senate Bill S.2094, which would bring conflicting regulations into one national standard.
Places of Refuge
The ASF thanked the Government and the local authorities of the Republic of Korea for their assistance in granting a place of refuge for Maritime Maisie, the chemical tanker severely damaged by collision and fire. The ASF recognises that this was not an easy decision, and for this reason urges all Governments, including those in Asia:
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Piracy and Armed Robbery of Ships
The ASF expressed serious concern over the increasing number of attacks on ships in the Gulf of Guinea. In this regard, the ASF urges Governments to support the IMO Resolution A.1069 (28) which addresses this problem.
The ASF also noted that the number of pirate attacks off the coast of Somalia has decreased as a result of joint efforts by the industry and international bodies. Nevertheless, the ASF urged shipowners to remain vigilant and sustain their efforts in safeguarding the safety and well-being of the seafarers and ships.
The ASF strongly urges the wider dissemination of the Interim Guidelines on measures relating to the welfare of seafarers and their families affected by piracy off the coast of Somalia that have been developed by Working Group 3 of the Contact Group for Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS WG3).
Canal Tolls
The Shipping Economics Review Committee (SERC) expressed its grave concern over the Suez Canal’s continuing unilateral and hasty increases in tolls and surcharges, the latest of which was implemented on 01 May 2014, and the possibility of a further Panama Canal toll increase through the use of new toll structures to be applied from around January 2016. Mr Yasumi Kudo, Chairman of the SERC, said, “The Canal Authorities, as competent and responsible administrators of public infrastructure of global trade, should seriously listen to the voices of canal users and governments of interested countries in order to ensure the stability, transparency, and predictability of toll pricing policies.“
Ship Recycling
While welcoming a balanced text of the EU Ship Recycling regulation, Dr Frank F H Lu, Chairman of Ship Recycling Committee (SRC), emphasised that “Any regulation should not be developed as alternative standardisation which undermines the Hong Kong Convention, in order to ensure sufficient capacity of safe and environment-friendly ship recycling yards in several countries. “
Source: BIMCO
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