Dry Bulk Shipowners, Cargo Interests to Benefit from IMO MEPC Decision
Greater clarity for HME cargoes re MARPOL V compliance Shipowners pleas for greater clarity on what to do when there are no adequate port receptionfacilities to receive residues including Hold Washing Water (HWW) from cargoes deemed"Harmful to the Marine Environment" (HME), have been substantially answered after animportant decision at the IMO Marine Environment Protection Committee held on 13-17 May.With effect from 1 January 2013, shippers and shipowners faced difficulties in meeting therequirements of the amended MARPOL Annex V regulations which entered into force on thatday without knowing whether there were suitable facilities to process the dry residues andHWW at the receiving port.Compounded by the fact that a few shippers did not realise that the IMO had clarified inCircular MEPC.1/Circ 791 that they had to declare whether a commodity was HME or notwith immediate effect, albeit with some flexibility on the criteria used to define HME until theend of 2014, many shippers and owners were left confused as to how to comply with theregulations.However, this is set to change after Governments at the IMO meeting consideredrepresentations from Intercargo - the Dry Bulk Shipowners Association and supported byother Round Table Shipowners Associations and concerned Flag and Port States, whichidentified the scale of ...
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