In light of port of Mombasa’s efforts to reduce sulphur shipping emissions, the Kenya Maritime Authority (KMA) reported that it had inspected 550 ships, adding that the exercise is ongoing.
The Director-General, Major Rtd George Okong’o, announced that ships calling at the port are subjected to random inspections by KMA’s State control officers
The officers have been mandated to verify compliance with the applicable sulphur limit in fuel oils by examining the bunker delivery notes, oil record book and fuel consumption data. In the year 2018 alone, 550 ships that called at the Port of Mombasa were inspected.
… Mr Okong’o noted.
Moreover, the Director General noted that KMA is cooperating with the Energy Regulatory Commission and the Kenya Bureau of Standards to update the ship fuel oil standard and align it with the MARPOL 73/78 with respect to the sulphur cap.
KMA highlighted the fact that ship agents are key stakeholders in ensuring compliance with the sulphur cap requirement as they are responsible for ordering oil for ships while in Kenya.
Ships agents have also been engaged on the sulphur limit on fuel oil requirements through various initiatives, as workshops under the Maritime Technology Cooperation Centre (MTCC-AFRICA).
Additionally, ship agents were informed that the requirements are mandatory, therefore their vessels should be compliant.
As KMA reported
Presently, none of the ships inspected by KMA’s Port State Control Officers have been found to use non-compliant fuel … In case a ship is found to be contravening the MARPOL 73/78 Convention on emissions, the ship may be restrained from sailing until it complies.
Concluding, Mr Okong’o noted that the country has participated in the global concentrated inspection campaign on MARPOL 73/78 Convention Annex 6 between September and November 2018 to familiarise its Port State Control Officers and Ship inspectors on the areas to be focused on during inspection of compliance with requirements on sulphur limit in ship fuel oils.
