Tag: asbestos

Asbestos inspections on foreign sea-going vessels

ClassNK- TEC 0908 Regarding Verification for the Material and Equipment not containing asbestos which were informed by ClassNK Technical Information No. TEC-0904 of 15 May 2012, ClassNK will carry out surveys as follows based on IACS Unified Interpretation SC249. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation in this matter.1. ApplicationShips engaged on international voyages (ships not engaged on international voyages comply with the instruction of the flag administration)2. Surveys(1) New ships: applied to ships constructed on or after 1 July 2012ClassNK reviews an asbestos-free declaration and supporting documentations during Classification Survey During Construction.(2) Ships in service: Periodical surveys on or after 1 July 2012ClassNK reviews asbestos-free declaration and supporting documentations to use equipment, installations and parts, etc. which not contain asbestos have been newly installed (i.e., repaired, replaced, maintained or added) on or after 1 July 2012.In this respect, the owner / the management company is requested to provide procedure with Safety Management System, including the nomination of responsible person(s) and monitoring, to ensure that newly installed materials onboard shall not contain asbestos, and notify your fleet before 1 July 2012.3. Preparations(1) New shipsPlease submit the asbestos-free declaration*1 prepared by the shipyard and supporting documentations that show not to use ...

ClassNK- TEC 0904 In accordance with SOLAS Chapter II-1/Reg. 3-5, new installation of materials which contain asbestos shall be prohibited for all ships from 1 July 2002, except for some cases, e.g., gaskets used under high temperature, etc, and further, those exceptions are not accepted from 1 January 2012.Meanwhile, IMO pointed out that materials which contain asbestos are still newly installed onboard ships. In response to this, IACS adopted Unified Interpretation UI SC249 which requires the confirmation of asbestos-free declarations and supporting documentation as a verification method for asbestos-free.This Unified Interpretation is deliberated upon by the IMO at the 90th session of the Maritime Safety Committee (MSC90) held from 16 May 2012 to 25 May 2012, where it is expected to approved. When IMO agrees with this UI, ClassNK will act accordingly and incorporate UI SC249 into our Rules as follows;(1) New ships: applied to ships constructed on or after 1 July 2012 Please submit asbestos-free declarations and supporting documentation for equipment, component, etc. which are installed for ships constructed on or after 1 July 2012 to ClassNK site office.(2) Existing ships: applied to the first periodical survey on or after 1 July 2012i) Please prepare asbestos-free declarations and supporting ...

DNV follow-up of the asbestos ban As from 1 January 2011, asbestos has been completely banned in new installations on both new and existing convention ships.Since then, there has been an increase in the regulatory focus and we have seen regulators like Australia and the Netherlands requesting sampling followed by the rejection/detention of vessels due to asbestos being identified on board.We also underline that the Netherlands as a flag state requires sampling to be carried out for newbuildings and upon a change of flag to the Netherlands.DNV and IACS have therefore been concerned about ensuring that no new installations on existing vessels and no newbuildings contain any asbestos.IACS policy IACS has developed a UI (unified interpretation), IACS UI SC249, on the implementation of this requirement which will be applied as soon as possible but not later than 1 July 2012, unless instructed otherwise by an Administration.The essence of the UI is that IACS societies are to ensure that new installations covered by SOLAS do not contain asbestos by reviewing the asbestos-free declarations and supporting documentation which are to be provided by shipyards, repair yards and equipment manufacturers.The UI SC249 is on the agenda for the IMO's Maritime Safety Committee in ...

Ship Recycling Forum on March 12 According to the front page lead in TradeWinds today, scores of ships built in the past 10 years containing substantial amounts of banned asbestos have triggered claims of lax enforcement of rules and the erroneous issuing of safety certificates.In the article Henning Gramann, MD of GSR Services draws attention to the fact that 'asbestos free' declarations from shipyards are 'useless if they have not fully controlled the incoming materials' or the supply chain.The report claims 'It is now acknowledged that a large-scale problem persists and the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) has now submitted a paper to the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) focusing on a "unified interpretation" of the regulations, seeking to clarify especially where responsibility lies.'Responding to the problem, an industry workshop has been set up in Singapore to offer clarity and help ship owners, builders and recyclers deal with asbestos safely and legally. Organised in the wings of the TradeWinds Ship Recycling Forum, the workshop will focus on how ship owners and operators should deal with the risks posed by asbestos on board.The workshop will offer practical assistance to ship owners in the areas of asbestos surveys on Chinesenewbuildings, cleaning up ...

MSC.88 outcome MSC.1/Circ.1374 Please find here below the following useful informationIMO Information on Prohibiting the Use of Asbestos on Board Ships

It contains toxic materials and poisonous residues Toxic-laden and decommissioned Korean-built ship Gulf Safwa was impounded by the Guajarat Maritime Board on Thursday near Bhavnager while sneakily heading to the Alang ship-breaking yard in India.An official of the Pollution Control Board for Gujarat told the Khaleej Times that customers officers would conduct an examination of the 14,584-tonne bulk carrier, as well as an inspection by Delhi bosses.They confirmed that the Gulf Safwa does contain toxic materials and poisonous residues, and can be housing asbestos, PCBs, toxic paints, fuel and chemical residues, etc. according to reports.The impounding of the vessel was in response of a letter to Ministries of Environment & Forests from the Toxic Watch Alliance last Wednesday alerting of a hazardous vessel in Indian waters. The vessel, however, in question of the letter is called the Gulf Jash.The Gujarat Maritime Board has said that they have not received any communication from the Jash. Officials are still not certain whether the Safwa could possibly be the ship mentioned in the letter.The seized Gulf Safwa is believed to have been purchased by the Alangs Tagif Ship Breaking Company. The ship breakers of Alang responded by saying that this is another false ...

The ship contains many tonnes of hazardous asbestos, toxic paints and fuel residues After being banned in Bangladesh, a toxic-laden ship, Probo Koala, is headed towards Indian shores for dismantling, a global group of activists called 'NGO Shipbreaking Platform' has warned.The ship, a 1989-built oil carrier cargo vessel weighing 31,255 tonnes now named Gulf Jash, was banned from entering Bangladesh waters recently after environmentalists in neighbouring countries warned the government about it.The ship has been in the thick of controversy in Africa and Europe. Its previous owner, a company called Trafigura, tried to offload its on-board toxic material in Amsterdam. It was detected in time and when the authorities imposed heavy charges for proper disposal, the company decided to instead send the ship to Africa.After trying its luck in Nigeria, the company finally found a dealer in Ivory Coast to dump the chemicals off board. Hundreds of tonnes of toxic chemicals were poured into the country's largest city, Abidjan. NGO Shipbreaking Platform said the toxic dumps lead to the death of 16 people and thousands of people falling ill.The company had to reportedly settle cases out of court by paying out 30 million pounds to the victims and nearly 100 ...