Tag: BWM Convention

Paris MoU held its 46th Committee meeting in Valletta, Malta, from 20 - 24 May 2013 The Paris Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control (Paris MoU) heldits 46th Committee meeting in Valletta, Malta, from 20 - 24 May 2013. The meetingwas attended by members, the European Commission, EMSA, Montenegro,observers from the ILO, US Coast Guard, Black Sea MoU, Caribbean MoU,Mediterranean MoU, Tokyo MoU and Vina del Mar Agreement.The Committee adopted amendments to the Memorandum to include the MaritimeLabour Convention 2006 as a relevant instrument. Guidelines for Port StateControl under this Convention were also agreed, providing practical guidance forPort State Control Officers to inspect ships starting 20 August 2013.Brian Hogan, the Chairman, stated: "The Paris MoU has always been supportive ofverification of working and living conditions under the ILO Convention 147. With theintroduction of the MLC2006 we are entering a new era to improve theseconditions on board".High importance was given to Concentrated Inspection Campaigns (CICs). A CICon Propulsion and Auxiliary Machinery has been scheduled from September toNovember this year, a CIC on hours of rest under the STCW Convention in 2014and a CIC focussing on Crew Familiarisation in 2015. The 2014 campaign will becarried out jointly with the Tokyo MoU. ...

BWM convention guidance on sampling and analysis agreed

AET Takes Over Newbuild BWM Convention Compliant VLCC

Document was submitted to the IMO including major concerns over BWMS Concerns over the IMO's Ballast Water Convention (BWM) have been expressed by leading shipping organisations to the IMO ahead of this October's MEPC 64 meeting.A document was submitted to the IMO endorsed by Liberia, the Marshall Islands, Panama, BIMCO, INTERTANKO, CLIA, INTERCARGO, InterManager, IPTA, NACE and WSC.As has been raised at previous MEPC meetings, there are a number of issues that are affecting ratification and implementation of the BWM Convention that need to be addressed by the MEPC and the IMO member states to ensure proper and effective implementation of the convention.The major concerns of the authors are as follows:1) Need for revision of the Guidelines for approval of ballast water management systems (G8) to improve transparency and ensure appropriate robustness of ballast water management systems (BWMS).2) Availability of BWMS and sufficient facilities to install BWMS.3) Survey and certification requirements for ships constructed prior to entry into force of the BWM Convention.4) sampling and analysis procedures for port State control purposes.In June 2012, there were 23 type approved BWMS on the market; 25 BWMS have been approved in total with two BWMS having been withdrawn from the market by ...

Focus on piracy, shipping emissions and BWM Convection The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) held its Annual General Meeting in Port Douglas, Queensland, from 24 to 25 May, hosted by the Australian Shipowners' Association. The meeting was held back-to-back with the AGM of the Asian Shipowners' Forum (ASF) which comprises the national shipowners' associations of Asia.At the ICS AGM, national shipowners' associations from Europe, Asia and the Americas, representing all sectors and trades and 80% of the world merchant fleet, considered pressing international issues of concern to global ship operators. Matters discussed included the continuing piracy crisis in the Indian Ocean and the challenge of further reducing ships' CO2 emissions. Another pressing concern discussed by ICS members was the serious problems for shipowners created by the delayed entry into force of the IMO Ballast Water Management (BWM) Convention. Ballast Water ChaosThe newly elected ICS Chairman, Mr Masamichi Morooka (Japan) commented:"ICS members identified genuine concerns about the availability of suitable ballast water treatment equipment, the robustness of the type approval process and the huge expense of retrofitting existing ships."Because of major changes proposed at IMO to important draft guidelines on ballast water sampling and analysis that will be used by port ...

MEPC 63, new USCG standards, Unitor BWMS recall from the market and the new California sewage water The IMO Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) held its 63rd session from 27 February to 2 March 2012.There was general agreement that treated sewage in ballast tanks is a MARPOL Annex IV issue(Prevention of Pollution by Sewage from Ships); grey water was not discussed in detail. The issue is expected to be addressed at the next MEPC in October. In the meanwhile, DNV recommends not fitting any connections from sewage or grey water to the ballast tanks onboard ships.The IACS proposal to issue certificates prior to the entry into force of the Ballast Water Management Convention (to save time) with a stamp stating that the certificate is only valid once the Convention enters into force received general support. DNV recommends that shipowners request these pre-certificates (together with approved BWM Plans and initial surveys for exchange) at their earliest convenience to avoid queuing up when the BWM Convention is fully ratified.A proposal for test facilities to have a shorter retention time when testing for type approval under the G8 Guidelines of the BWM Convention due to high water temperature was discussed and acknowledged. However ...

IMO BLG as just held its 16th session in London The United Nations' International Maritime Organization's Sub-Committee on Bulk Liquids and Gases (BLG) has just held its 16th session in London. One of the subjects on the agenda was the effect on the Arctic regions of black carbon emitted from international shipping.The Sub-Committee discussed how to define black carbon from international shipping and how to measure the effect in the Arctic regions.This work was not finalised at the meeting, but the Sub-Committee decided to continue the work in a correspondence group until the next meeting. Furthermore, one would ask the IMO Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) to put this issue on the agenda of the BLG Sub-Committee in the future.In addition, the following issues were discussed at this session of the BLG Sub-Committee:- The drafting of guidelines for sampling in connection with the Ballast Water Management Convention (at present, Denmark is preparing ratification of the Ballast Water Management Convention.- The use of natural gas as an alternative fuel in the light of the strict sulphur requirements entering into force in 2015 and the necessary safety regulations concerning ships' use of gas as fuel.Source: Danish Maritime Authority

Hong Kong Merchant Shipping Information Note Hong Kong Marine Department issues Merchant Shipping Information Note regarding Clarification Regarding the Application Dates Contained in Regulation B-3 of the BWM Convention as follows:This Note advises the clarification of IMO on the application schedule of the D-2 standard with regard to ships described in Regulation B-3 of the Ballast Water Management Convention.1.In July 2011, at its 62nd session, IMO Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) further clarified the application schedule of the D-2 standard with regard to ships described in Regulation B-3 of the BWM Convention, and agreed to add new explanatory text relevant to ships described in Regulation B-3.4 to Circular BWM.2/Circ.29 and to disseminatethe expanded circular as BWM.2/Circ.29/Rev.1.2. The Circular BWM.2/Circ.29/Rev.1 dated 26 September 2011 can be found on Marine Department Website at "http://www.mardep.gov.hk/en/msnote/msin.html" and is attached to this MSIN.3. Shipowners, ship managers, operators and classification societies are advised to follow the clarification when applying the relevant provisions of Regulation B-3 of BWM Convention.Source: Hong Kong Marine Department

Amendments to BWM.2/Circ.19 The Marine Environment Protection Committee, at its sixty-first session(27 September to 1 October 2010), approved the amendments to BWM.2/Circ.19 regarding the clarification on the application dates of the ballast water performance standard contained in regulation B-3.1 of the BWM Convention.Regulation B-3.1 of the Ballast Water Management Convention provides:"A ship constructed before 2009:.1 with a ballast water capacity of between 1,500 and 5,000 cubic metres,inclusive, shall conduct ballast water management that at least meets thestandard described in regulation D-1 or regulation D-2 until 2014, after whichtime it shall at least meet the standard described in regulation D-2;.2 with a ballast water capacity of less than 1,500 or greater than 5,000 cubicmetres shall conduct ballast water management that at least meets thestandard described in regulation D-1 or regulation D-2 until 2016, after whichtime it shall at least meet the standard described in regulation D-2."For more information, click here.Source: IMO