Starting from 18 January, if ships are not compliant with the Panama Canal Shipboard Oil Pollution Emergency Plan (PCSOPEP) requirements, then they can only transit the Canal if they have paid or placed a satisfactory guarantee for the payment of any applicable sanction and the ship submits an approved PCSOPEP at least 96 hours before arriving in Canal waters.
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The Regulation on Navigation in Panama Canal Waters establishes in Chapter IX, Section Five, the requirements for vessel contingency plans for oil spills in Panama Canal waters, which apply to all vessels with fuel and/or oil cargo-carrying capacity of 400 MT or more. The Vessels Contingency Plan required by these regulations is known as the Panama Canal Shipboard Oil Pollution Emergency Plan (PCSOPEP).
Effective January 18, 2021, vessels determined to be non-compliant with PCSOPEP requirements will only be scheduled for transit after they fulfill both of the following requirements:
- The owner, operator, or the vessel´s shipping agent has paid or has placed a satisfactory guarantee for the payment of the applicable sanction, by sending the letter of acceptance and undertaking of payment.
- The vessel submits a PCSOPEP that complies with the requirements established in Notice to Shipping No.12-2021 at least 96 hours prior to arrival at Canal waters.
The sanction will be set at a minimum of $2,500.00, the Panama Canal clarified through a recent Advisory to Shipping.
In addition to the above-mentioned sanction, non-compliant Panamax and Neopanamax vessels, other than liquid bulk carriers, will be subject to a Tier 3 category designation, and Neopanamax liquid bulk carriers will be subject to a Tier 5 category designation, and will be charge accordingly, as well as additional resources assigned to the vessel as a result of non-compliance.
Failure to have a compliant plan in place may result in both a monetary penalty and a delayed transit until the 96-hour timeframe is met, even if this is the first violation for the vessel,
…warned risk management firm Witt O’Brien’s.
