Tag: IMO

Movements to tackle CO2 emissions from shipping There is more to environmental compliance than operating a vessel in accordance with whatever rule has come from the International Maritime Organization.Shipping is increasingly subject to commercial environmental pressure as other companies focus on their own supply chain performance and expect their suppliers to do the same.For many organisations the environmental rules that have been set by the IMO are seen as a minimum standard, and owners hoping to sound like they have a sound environmental stewardship by stating their vessels are in full compliance are increasingly sounding like they are in fact doing the minimum needed.The development of commercial and social pressures comes as the shipping industry faces a make or break year. The IMO is hoping to get its design index sorted out and made mandatory and to develop a market-based measure.These are the two mandatory tools it hopes will demonstrate movement in tackling CO2 emissions from shipping.

Installation numbers are low Solutions have extensively covered ballast water treatment systems over the years but with the IMO Ballast Water Convention still not ratified, installation numbers have been low.When the time comes for existing vessels to be fitted there is a chance that some obstacles may be encountered. The IMO Ballast Water Convention is a well-known feature of the legislative landscape in the shipping sector.Less well appreciated are some of the technical complications and potential costs of retrofitting ballast water treatment systems.

Navigation in the sea area surrounding Japan The IMO Circular Letter No. 3175 Rev1 - Subject: Navigation in the sea area surrounding Japan in the wake of the earthquake and tsunami of 11 March 2011 - issued on 1 April 2011 has been revised.Revision 2 advisesthat on 12 April 2011, the accident assessment was revised from Level 5 to Level 7 following updated information regarding the estimated amounts of radioactive material discharged to the atmosphere. Radiation monitoring around airports and seaports in Japan continues to confirm that levels remain well within safe limits from a health perspective.In addition, monitoring of passengers, crew and cargo from Japan carried out to date in other countries, in accordance with national policies, does not suggest health or safety risks. Therefore, screening for radiation at airports and seaports around the world for health and safety purposes is currently considered unnecessary.To view Circular Letter No. 3175 Rev2 click hereSource : IMO

Offshore Technology Conference Severn Trent De Nora, a leading provider of electrolytic seawater disinfection systems, will showcase its line of water and wastewater treatment systems at theOffshore Technology Conference to be held May 2-5, 2011, at Reliant Park in Houston, Texas.The following products will be featured during the conference: The OMNIPURETM Series 55 marine sewage treatment system utilizes a unique electrolytic treatment process combined with electrocoagulation to provide safe and effective treatment of black and gray water.The certified treatment process provides wastewater effluent quality well below MEPC.159(55) requirements while eliminating the need to handle waste solids from raw, untreated influent.Along with a unique solids management system that removes concentrated solids automatically, in situ, the light-weight systems feature a small footprint and are easy to install and maintain. With an individual unit capacity ranging up to 17,280 gal/day (65 m3/day), OMNIPURE 55 systems can be combined for increased capacity.The systems have Bureau Veritas certification and USCG certification to IMO Resolution MEPC.159(55). A scale model of the OMNIPURE Series 55 will be at the booth for technology demonstrations.The SANILEC?electrochlorination system generates hypochlorite from seawater and has demonstrated reliable, economic and low-maintenance operation in installations throughout the world.When injected into the cooling water ...

Condemns their use as human shields In the context of the recently-released Indian ship M/V Asphalt Venture, IMO reiterates its condemnation of all acts of piracy and armed robbery against ships and expresses its concern over the treatment of seafarers being held hostage by pirates operating in waters off the coast of Somalia.In particular, it condemns their use as "human shields" on board recently hijacked ships used as "motherships", or ashore.The M/V Asphalt Venture was hijacked by Somali pirates on 29 September 2010 and was released on 15 April 2011. However, six officers and one rating had been removed from the ship and, at the time of release, were being held at an undisclosed location ashore, where they remain.IMO is concerned for the welfare of all innocent seafarers being held in captivity, and is working towards their timely release. Using seafarers as human shields to continue to engage in piracy - one of the most heinous of crimes against humanity at sea - is totally unacceptable.The IMO World Maritime Day theme for 2011, "Piracy: orchestrating the response" - and its associated action plan - embrace the concept that the safety and well-being of seafarers should be of paramount importance.Source: IMO

No present health or transportation safety hazards The United Nations organizations closely monitoring the effects of the damaged Fukushima Daiichi plant remain confident that current radiation levels do not present health or transportation safety hazards to passengers and crew.On 18 March, based on the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale (INES), the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry assessed the significance rating of the accident at the plant as Level 5. On 12 April, this assessment was revised to Level 7 following information obtained from estimations of the amount of radioactive material discharged to the atmosphere.Radiation monitoring around airports and seaports in Japan continues to confirm that levels remain well within safe limits from a health perspective. In addition, monitoring of passengers, crew and cargo from Japan carried out to date in other countries, in accordance with their national policy, does not suggest any health or safety risk. Therefore, screening of radiation for health and safety purposes is currently considered unnecessary at airports and seaports around the world.Information concerning travel and transport to and from Japan by air or sea is not dependent on the INES rating. Further information covering all aspects of the response of the Ministry of ...

Application of Fire Test Procedures The IMO has just released the 2010Code for Application of Fire Test Procedures (2010 FTP Code),which is made mandatory under SOLAS II-2.The 2010 FTP Code will take effect on 1 July 2012.To view this document please click here Source : IMO

First country to sign Denmark has become the first country to sign, subject to ratification, the Protocol of 2010 to the International Convention on Liability and Compensation for Damage in Connection with the Carriage of Hazardous and Noxious Substances by Sea, 1996.Mr. Kasper Høeg-Jensen, Minister Counsellor, Royal Danish Embassy, London, signed the HNS Protocol 2010 on behalf of Denmark at IMO Headquarters on 14 April 2011.The 2010 Protocol, which was adopted at a conference held in 2010 to address practical problems that had prevented many States from ratifying the original 1996 Convention, will enter into force eighteen months after the date on which the following conditions are fulfilled:(a) at least twelve States, including four States each with not less than 2 million units of gross tonnage, have expressed their consent to be bound by it; and (b) the Secretary-General has received information in accordance with article 20, paragraphs 4 and 6, that those persons in such States who would be liable to contribute pursuant to article 18, paragraphs 1(a) and (c), of the Convention, as amended by the 2010 Protocol, have received during the preceding calendar year a total quantity of at least 40 million tonnes of cargo contributing to ...

Effort to extend warning areas Five new areas for navigational and meteorological warnings in the Arctic will go fully operational this summer.With the increased amount of maritime traffic in the arctic regions, the International Maritime Organization endorsed efforts in 2006 to extend navigational and meteorological warning areas into the Arctic.Five new areas were established in June last year. Canada, Norway and Russia will maintain the new areas and ensure information and data is kept up to date.

Call for better information from anti-piracy agencies and operators A ship register official has defended flag states against accusations they are failing to employ best practices to prevent pirate attacks and has called for better information from anti-piracy agencies and operators.Arsenio Dominguez of Panama Shipping Register told a recent IMO piracy workshop in London that flag states are sometimes aware of pirate attacks only from media reports and cannot take steps to improve onboard security and awareness without better feedback.