Cyprus Ministry of Shipping has issued a circular informing that it now accepts statutory certificates issued to Cyprus-flagged vessels by Recognized Organizations in electronic form, provided that they are in line with the IMO requirements as presented in ‘Guidelines for the use of electronic certificates’.
As shipping is transporting around 80% of global trade by volume, the security of maritime trade is paramount. To address this issue, IMO organized a workshop in Ningbo, China, from 23 to 27 of July. The event aimed to review the implementation of maritime security in the region and evaluate new or evolving threats.
Mauritius has become the 15th signatory to the Jeddah Amendment to the Djibouti Code of Conduct, the instrument developed and adopted by countries in the Western Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden focused on repressing piracy and armed robbery against ships operating in the region.
Serbia became the latest country to accede to IMO’s BWM Convention, bringing the total number of signatories to 74, representing more than 75% of the world’s merchant fleet tonnage. Under the treaty, ships are required to manage their ballast water, which can contain thousands of aquatic or marine microbes. The BWM Convention entered into force globally on 8 September 2017.
Following a recent announcement that China would implement stricter measures to reduce air pollution around its coastlines starting from early 2019, Wood Mackenzie energy consultancy said that this is a clear sign the world’s second biggest economy will strive for 100% compliance ahead the 2020 sulphur cap.
Speaking at the ‘Maritime security in the 21st century’ symposium at the Brazilian Naval War College, Rio de Janeiro, on 20 July, IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim emphasized on how IMO is working to address the digital revolution in all aspects of its work.
IMO is trying to enhance regional cooperation to mitigate oil and hazardous and noxious substances (HNS) spills in the Northwest Pacific region. Under this, a Marine Environmental Emergency Preparedness and Response Regional Activity Centre (MERRAC) took place in Incheon, Republic of Korea, from 17 to 20 July.
As the shipping industry is trying to find ways to reduce emissions, the European Union and IMO have announced regulations which require from operators to collect and report their ships’ fuel consumption. To assist in this, DNV GL released a combined reporting and verification online tool.
The ISO Working Group issued a statement reassuring the industry that the general requirements of ISO 8217:2017, along with the characteristics included in Table 1 and 2 of ISO 8217: 2017, cover 2020 0.50% max. sulphur fuels in the same way as they cover today’s fuels including the 0.10% max. sulphur fuels.
After the IMO Intersessional Working Group meeting last week concluded, IBIA said that it is positive that there is a significant support among IMO member States to ensure consistency in fuel oil testing and verification procedures. However, discussions on a number of agenda items were left with unresolved issues.
