Tag: MARPOL Annex VI

The Hong Kong Marine Department issued a shipping note to advise parties concerned on the 2019 Guidelines for PSC under MARPOL Annex VI Chapter 3 adopted at IMO's 74th Session of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 74).

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) announced that the Pre-Arrival Notification (PAN) has been revised to incorporate the requirements for reporting on the use of compliant fuels in accordance with the fast approaching IMO 2020 sulphur cap. 

Mr. George A. Gaitas, Attorney and Partner, Gaitas & Chalos, P.C, shares his predictions regarding what owners should expect in the US in the enforcement of MARPOL Annex VI regulations after Jan 1st of 2020 and, specifically, whether the US will widely implement criminal sanctions as it has done with enforcement of Annex I.

Maritime New Zealand informs that from January 1, 2020, New Zealand flagged vessels that will visit foreign ports of states in line with MARPOL Annex VI - Prevention of Air Pollution from Ships will have to be compliant with two new requirements. 

MARPOL Annex VI sets the reduction of the global sulphur limit from the current 3.5% to 0.5% which will come into effect from January 1, 2020; Following, local bunker suppliers can follow specific steps, 'best practices', to ensure effective implementation and enforcement of statutory requirements of the MARPOL Annex VI.

Black Sea MoU issued the results of the Concentrated Inspection Campaign (CIC) on MARPOL Annex VI throughout the region, that was conducted from 1st September 2018 to 30th November 2018. A total of 139 questionnaires had at least a non-compliance to a requirement, resulting 17.8% of CIC inspections.

Aiming to clarify the situation regarding Fuel Oil Non-Availability Reports (FONARs), Skuld Club says that it is a discretionary tool for a Member State to lessen the breach of MARPOL Annex VI. However, it explains that FONARs are not an exemption but rather a self-declaration by owners that a breach has or is about to take place.

The Paris Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control (Paris MoU) conducted its 52nd Committee meeting in St. Petersburg, Russian, from 13-17 May 2019. The Committee reviewed the work of the Paris MoU of the last year, also taking into account the declaration of the 3rd Joint Ministerial Conference, and took decisions for the upcoming period.

The Black Sea MoU issued preliminary results on CIC on MARPOL Annex VI, conducted by PSC officers in the Black Sea MoU region from 1 September to 30 November 2018. The overall average per cent of non-conformities was 6.62 which means that “unsatisfactory” answer was given to a question on 6.62 % of occasions. 

In the week following, IMarEST announced that it will meet with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to issue papers for consideration by the Marine Environmental Protection Committee (MEPC) during its 74th session.