Tag: Intercargo

Interim Guidelines for Owners, Operators and Masters for protection against piracy

Issued by BIMCO, ICS, INTERCARGO, INTERTANKO Recognising the significantly increased security concerns in the Gulf of Guinea region, the Round Table of international shipping associations (BIMCO, ICS, INTERCARGO, INTERTANKO) have developed a set of Interim Guidelines for Owners, Operators and Masters for protection against piracy and armed robbery in the Gulf of Guinea region.Based upon consultations with their respective members, the Interim Guidelines have been produced as a result of the collaborative efforts of the four associations which, in addition, have been supported and endorsed by the NATO Shipping Centre.Although standalone in nature, the Interim Guidelines should be read in conjunction with the existing industry guidelines that address the Somalia-based piracy problem, Best Management Practices for Protection against Somalia Based Piracy (BMP4).The situation in the Gulf of Guinea region is continually evolving, therefore the Interim Guidelines will be updated when the situation dictates or relevant information becomes available from other sources, for example, if a security or reporting centre is established locally.Complimentary soft copies of the Interim Guidance are available for download from the Security section of theBIMCO website.For more information, click hereSource: BIMCO

ICS, IACS, BIMCO, Intercargo, Intertanko, OCIMF, CESS Representatives of the leading worldwide Associations of Shipbuilders, Classification Societies and Shipowners met in Busan, Korea for their annual Tripartite meeting hosted by the Korean Register of Shipping and KOSHIPA, the national shipbuilders association.The meeting was united in expressing its serious concern with the obstacles that all three parties face as the Ballast Water Management Convention moves closer to ratification, eight years after its text was adopted. It was always going to be challenging to fit ballast water treatment equipment to all of the world's 70,000 ships.New technologies needed to be explored and developed to treat the volume of water required by ocean going ships as ballast. However the slow pace of ratification by IMO member States has negated the carefully staged implementation programme that was a feature of the original Convention. Now that the fixed timeline for implementation has passed without entry into force it means that, as soon as the Ballast Water Management Convention does meet its ratification criteria, thousands of ships will need to be fitted in a very short time.Whilst strenuous efforts were made by industry, this will put unattainable demands on ship repair facilities, engineering capabilities and on ...

New Chairman Announced at Intercargo

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 ...

Intercargo's Secretary General outlines a major issue in bringing to the attention Mr. Lomas, secretary general of The International Association of Dry Cargo Shipowners (Intercargo) outlines a priority of Intercargo in bringing to the attention of the International Maritime Organization the need to ensure that all the guidance and safety measures related to cargos loaded on bulk carriers are adhered to. In particular he makes mention of nickel ore cargo loaded in far east ports.

Round Table associations positions on GHG+MBMs As it issues its latest position paper on greenhouse gases from ships and market-based measures (attached below), the Round Table of international shipping associations (RT) is of the view that Market Based Measures (MBMs) are not justified at this particular time.The RT fully supports the adoption at IMO of mandatory Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) for new ships and the Ship Energy Efficiency Management Plan (SEEMP) for all ships. It is convinced that the SEEMP will allow shipowners to better gauge their energy consumption and thereby enhance existing operational efficiency, since fuel is the single highest operational cost factor and this fact alone has already induced ship-owners to become more energy efficient.In the event that Market Based Measures (MBMs) are eventually introduced to shipping by IMO, these should apply globally and should completely address the nine principles adopted by IMO, it says.If ultimately it is found that technical and operational measures cannot wholly meet the agreed reduction targets, then any funds generated by means of a globally applied MBM for shipping must be controlled by IMO, says the RT, and, in large part, be disbursed to support further technological development focused on energy efficiency ...

EEDI formula in its present form is not supposed to be applicable to all ships The Round Table of international shipping associations (RT) supports the adoption of the new energy efficiency regulations for ships by the IMO in July 2011, which demonstrated the effective role of IMO in regulating worldwide shipping CO2 emissions. The measures include the Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) for new ships and the Ship Energy Efficiency Management Plan (SEEMP) for all ships in service.The EEDI formula in its present form is, however, not supposed to be applicable to all ships. Indeed, it is explicitly recognised that it is not suitable for all ship types (particularly those not designed to transport cargo) nor for all types of propulsion systems.Parallel to the regulatory developments at IMO, a number of initiatives are seeking to apply the EEDI formula also to existing ships, using speculative data to establish the values. The RT strongly recommends against the application of EEDI to existing ships, as the values generated by such application can be misleading and can create unintended consequences. The focus for ships in service is - and should continue to be - on operational and commercial efficiencies.The EEDI separates the technical ...

Stakeholder Responsibilities Intercargo issues Guide for the Safe Loading of Nickel Ore following the "Vinalines Queen" casualty on 25 December in order to ensure safety and to take action to stem the loss of life relating to the carriage of Nickel Ore.Intercargo's Guide explains the following important queries:a) What shippers and owners need to know in respect of SOLAS and the IMSBC requirements;b) What practical measures should be undertaken in respect of safety arising out of the discussions at IMO last year in respect of the IMO DSC 16 meetingc) What shippers need to do to improve their own procedures andd) What practical advice can be given to Masters / Owners to encourage safety during the loading and pre-loading stages ?Responsible shippers must not mis-represent cargoes. In order to provide accurate cargo declarations shippers should have in place procedures for sampling, testing and controlling moisture content of cargoes including procedures to protect cargo on barges from any precipitation and water ingress.Responsible shipowners must check that the cargo documentation is provided as required in the IMSBC Code.Before fixing, chartering departments should refer to their own internal procedures regarding the acceptance of Nickel Ore cargoes.You can view the Intercargo's Guide for the ...

Industry Must Unite to Stop This Unnecessary Loss of Life The recent tragic loss of the 2005-built supramax bulk carrier Vinalines Queen and 22 of its crew again underlines the urgent need for greater enforcement of regulations and testing of cargoes that may liquefy.The ship, which was reportedly carrying a cargo of nickel ore from Morowali, Indonesia to China, was reported missing on 25 December, considered lost. Back in December 2010 following the loss of 3 bulk carriers and 44 crew in short succession, all owing to cargo liquefaction, Intercargo took the opportunity to remind the industry of the dangers associated with the carriage of hazardous cargoes - however the loss of the Vinalines Queen demonstrates that the message still isn't getting through.Speaking of the loss, Secretary General of Intercargo, Rob Lomas said "we've previously called on shippers and cargo interests to conduct an urgent review into the testing and safety processes involved in shipping of hazardous cargoes, following the spate of accidents and fatalities in 2010, but clearly more needs to be urgently done to stop this appalling unnecessary loss of life"."Sadly, it seems that some shipowners still do not have the relevant experience or knowledge in interpreting the ...