Tag: Emission Control Areas (ECA)

For vessels planning to call in US or Canadian ports on or after 1 August The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued Interim Guidance on the non-availability of compliant fuel oil for the North American Emission Control Area (ECA), enforcement of which will commence on 1 August.The guidance explains how owners and operators can establish compliance with the requirements and the steps that must be taken to make a valid fuel oil non-availability claim.For more information, click here.Source: EPA

ECA will come into effect on 1 August 2012 Singapore MPA issued a circular reminding owners, operators, and masters that requirements of the North American Emissions Control Area (ECA) come into effect on 1 August as follows:Shipping Circular No. 13 of 2011 had drawn the attention of the Shipping Community to the entry into force date of the amendments to MARPOL Annex through Resolution MEPC.190(60), on the designation of the North AmericanAs informed in Shipping Circular No. 19 of 2011, the amendments enteredforce on 1 August 2011 and in accordance to Regulation 14.7 of MARPOLAnnex VI, the requirements will take effect 12 months immediately following the designation of the ECA (i.e. 1 August 2012).For more information, click here.Source: Singapore MPA

Effective from 1 August, 2012 The North American Emission Control Area for SOx and particulate matter (ECA-SOx) enters into effect on 1 August, 2012.From this date, the same requirements will apply as for the existing Baltic and North Sea ECA-SOx, including the requirements for recording data on entry and exit.The North American ECA-SOx covers three distinct areas:1.off the North American Atlantic/Gulf coasts;2.off the North American Pacific coast; and 3.around certain parts of Hawaii. It also includes the St Lawrence Seaway, the Great Lakes and rivers (such as the Mississippi) which are accessed by shipping.The ECA's exact co-ordinates are contained in the IMO Circular MEPC.1/Circ.723Ships operating in or entering the North American ECA-SOx on or after 1 August, 2012, will need to have on board sufficient compliant fuel oil (1.00% m/m maximum sulphur content) and bring it into use as required. Ships entering the ECA-SOx before this date will need to ensure that compliant fuel oil is brought into use no later than 00:00 hrs on 1 August, 2012.Lloyd's Register recommends that this fuel change-over is recorded in the same way as if the ship was entering an ECA.Source: Lloyd's Register

Emission Control Areas: THE GUIDE Fathom and Lloyd's Register, the maritime classification society and independent risk management organization, have announced the launch of Emission Control Areas: THE GUIDE.Emission Control Areas, or ECAs, in Europe and North America are set to have a profound effect on how vessels are operated, including hugely impactful implications on the cost of fuels when operating within ECAs.The 111-page guide, which is accompanied by an onboard ECA manual, details the full scope of challenges of operating within an ECA, from analysis of compliance options to the practical steps of implementing ECA measures onboard, and capturing and recording data for Port State Control requirements.The 0.10 percent 2015 ECA sulphur emission requirements are approaching, and the August, 2012, 1.00 percent North American ECA is only months away. Yet, in some cases, ship owners and operators are still unsure of the operational practices required to meet the legislation; and, currently crews, when required to do so, are implementing these practices sporadically and without strategy. With the imminent North American ECA and the clock counting down to the more stringent requirements of 2015, Fathom and Lloyd's Register have worked to compile one comprehensive reference manual for what owners, operators and ...

DNV issues quick guide to MARPOL Annex VI, regulation 13 In connection with the revised MARPOL Annex VI 2009 edition, DNV has experienced an increase in class enquiries related to requirements for NOx emissions from marine diesel engines.New and stricter NOx emission requirements lead to new challenges related to, among other things, new technologies, the rebuilding of engines, etc. In this newsletter, we will try to clarify some of the new expressions introduced in the regulation and answer some frequently asked questions related to MARPOL Annex VI, Reg. 13.Emission RequirementsThere are three levels of allowable NOx emissions from diesel engines, depending on the vessel's keel laying date or the engine installation date. The emission levels are called Tier I (applicable from 1 January 2000), Tier II (applicable from 1 January 2011) and Tier III (applicable from 1 January 2016, ECAs only). For more information, please see Reg. 13, parts 35.Definition of a ' major conversion'Whenever you intend to modify or replace an engine, or install an additionalone, on board a vessel, you need to evaluate whether this will influencethe EIAPP certification of the engine in question. According to Reg. 13, anychanges defined as a "major conversion" will influence the EIAPP ...

A tool to assist with strategic planning for SOX compliance with MARPOL Annex VI, Regulation 14 Lloyd's Register (LR) recently introduced an ECA Calculator, a tool which is claimed to assist with strategic planning for SOX compliance with MARPOL Annex VI, Regulation 14.At present, the majority of vessels choose to comply with the current 1% ECA requirement by operating with a fuel of lower sulphur content where required. In the majority of cases this is residual fuel oil.In the future, however, in order to meet the 0.10% and 0.50% maximum allowable sulphur contents required within an ECA from 2015 onwards and in all other areas from 2020/2025 respectively, distillate fuel is likely to be used.Crucially, however, MARPOL Annex VI allows, under Regulation 4, the use of an equivalent compliance method, which is at least as effective in terms of emissions reduction as the levels required by regulation 14 (which limits the sulphur content of fuel). One of these methods is the use of an exhaust gas cleaning system (EGCS).As a result of the current and impending situation, (ie 2015 = 0.10% limit within an ECA and 2020/2025 = 0.50% outside an ECA) operators may need to evaluate their position in ...

Linea Messina is the first ever vessel to operate commercially with a scrubber system Hamworthy Krystallon, the world leading marine scrubbing technology manufacturer, announced that the first of four vessels installed with the company's seawater scrubbers for leading Italian ship owner Ignazio Messina & Co has come on line.Linea Messina is the first ever vessel to operate commercially with a scrubber system, enabling Ignazio Messina to meet 0.1% sulphur emissions regulations in EU ports, as well as "future-proofing" the vessel for the impending 2015 0.1% Emission Control Area (ECA)."This is a landmark moment, not just for Hamworthy Krystallon, but the entire shipping industry," said Sigurd Jenssen, Managing Director, Hamworthy Krystallon. "Bringing Linea Messina on line highlights the validity of scrubbing technology as a viable and cost-effective solution to meet the stringent sulphur emissions regulations, that are serving to transform the shipping industry.By 2015, ship owners and operators operating in ECAs will have a simple choice - either pay the $300 to $400 price differential for costly distillate fuel or install a scrubber, which typically has a payback of less than 2 years. Messina has shown what the smart choice is." continued Jenssen.Ignazio Messina placed the world's first commercial order for ...

Vessels have to comply with a 0.1% limit on fuel sulphur content Trade association Interferry says that ferry operators in northern Europe face a near-impossible choice in trying to meet the 2015 deadline for ultra-low sulphur emissions from bunker fuel.The association also warns that the low-sulphur legislation will prompt an environmentally damaging modal shift from short-sea to overland transport and pose severe financial implications for the overall European economy.Under pending IMO and soon to be agreed European Union (EU) environmental requirements, vessels operating in the Baltic, North Sea and Channel Emission Control Areas (ECAs) will have to comply with a 0.1% limit on fuel sulphur content.Interferry says it acknowledges ferry operators' responsibility to reduce emissions and supports the move to lower sulphur limits globally by 2020 - but claims that the 2015 timescale is 'mission impossible´ due to unsustainable cost increases. It argues that, despite the ferry industry's efforts to develop alternative technologies and feasible alternative fuels, abatement technologies and financial support will not be available or sufficient enough to avoid a modal shift from sea to road. These alternatives are the elements in a 'toolbox' of technical and financial solutions proposed by the European Commission (EC).The toolbox suggests the ...

IBIA members concerned residual fuel produced in the Middle East currently exceeds the 3.5% limit Major bunker supplier and trader OW Bunker has assured its customers of sufficient availability of IMO compliant fuel after 1 January 2011 despite concerns over supply, particularly in the Middle East.DNV Petroleum Services has recently warned that suppliers will face a challenge in meeting the demand for fuel oil with a sulphur content of 3.5%. This follows the Marpol Annex VI regulation that will see the global sulphur content of fuel oil reduced from 4.5%. The global sulphur limit applies to all waters other than Emission Control Areas (ECAs), where fuel oil with a sulphur content of 1% must be used.Also, at the recent International Bunker Industry Association (IBIA) annual convention in Barcelona, several IBIA members pointed out that much residual fuel produced in the Middle East currently exceeds the 3.5 per cent limit. They were worried that, since none of the countries in the region are signatories to Marpol Annex VI, there might be nothing in place to force suppliers there to provide IMO compliant fuel. The general expectation at Barcelona was that bunker fuel taken on in the Middle East would continue to ...

Bunker industry to become more involved in the ongoing discussions on LNG as a fuel at IMO The International Bunker Industry Association's (IBIA) board has taken a formal decision to "become more closely engaged in LNG matters". The move was announced at last week's IBIA's Annual Convention, held in Barcelona, by its acting chief executive Trevor Harrison. He told delegates that the association would become more involved in the ongoing discussions on LNG as a fuel at the International Maritime Organization (IMO).The potential of LNG as a fuel for merchant ships received considerable attention. Several speakers referred to the issue while addressing industry concerns about the 2015 implementation of the 0.1% sulphur content cap in bunkers used within Emission Control Areas (ECAs). In addition one session was entirely devoted to the prospects for widespread use of LNG.While there were some cautionary voices, the focus on LNG reflected IBIA's considered view that now is the time for the bunker industry to become involved in the development of gas powered ships. IBIA board member Nigel Draffin is to work closely with the Society of International Gas Tanker and Terminal Operators (SIGTTO) to provide input into the development of IMO's Code for Gas ...