Tag: MARPOL

MEPC 1/Circ 754 IMO issues MEPC 1/Circ 754 as follows: The Marine Environment Protection Committee, at its sixty-second session (11 to 15 July 2011), agreed that future Unified Interpretations (UIs) to regulations under MARPOL Annexes should be circulated by MEPC circulars, and as annexes to the Committee's reports.The Committee also agreed to issue a circular with a list of UIs of the MARPOLConvention adopted since MEPC 45, with a view to facilitating their dissemination (MEPC 62/24, paragraph 7.27).For more information, click here.Source: IMO

MEPC.1/Circ 753 The Marine Environment Protection Committee, at its sixty-second session(11 to 15 July 2011), approved the amendments to the Unified Interpretations to regulation 12.2 of MARPOL Annex I (MEPC 62/24, paragraph 7.20), as set out in the annex.The revised MARPOL Annex I entered into force on 1 January 2011. The regulation, which is applicable to every ship of 400 GT and above, requires that oil residue (sludge) tanks shall have no discharge connections to the bilge system, oily bilge water holding tank(s), tank top or oily water separators. For ships constructed on or after 31 December 1990, this matter was dealt with under the previous version of regulation 12 and unified interpretation 17 (paragraph 17.1.3).However, this interpretation was not mandatory and its application depended on individual flag state requirements. Consequently, some ships built between 1991 and 2010 might not be in compliance with the interpretation.You can view the MEPC.1/Circ 753 by clicking here.Source: IMO

IMO issues new circulars The IMO has issued new Circulars and MEPC.1/Circ. 765 gives information on new retrofitting kits for MAN B&W S70MC and S50MC type engines.In accordance with the provisions of regulation 13 of MARPOL Annex VI, engines of more than 5 MW and a displacement per cylinder of 90 litres or above, installed onboard ships built between 1 January 1990 and 31 December 1999, should be fitted with methods for NOx emissions reduction (kits) when such kits are available and approved by an Administration.Ships with engines for which the kits are approved are required to be fitted with them at the first renewal survey of the IAPP Certificate which is scheduled 12 months from the date on which the Administration gives notice of the certification of the approved kit.According to MEPC.1/Circ. 764 and 765, the Danish Administration reported on the certification of the approved method for MAN B&W S70MC and SM50MC type engines on 11 August 2011. Therefore, installation of the kits for such engines will be mandatory no later than the first renewal survey for the IAPP Certificate which occurs on or after 12 August 2012, subject to commercial availability.IACS has informed the IMO that data provided ...

The adoption of EEDI and SEEMP marked the session The subject of Carbon Dioxide dominates the future of many industries today. Whether it be the Shipping, Automotive, Aviation, or Power Generation industries the questions of how to account for, reduce, produce, capture and minimise the impact of Carbon Dioxide generated by that industry is seldom left out of the discussion.So it was Germanischer Lloyd's traditional recap of the latest session of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) of International Maritime Organization (IMO), focused on the groundbreaking developments at the 62nd session.The 62nd Session was notable for several reasons, the use of a vote to approve the measures rather than by consensus and the establishment of a North American emissions control area for example. However it was the adoption of the Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) and the Ship Energy Efficiency Management Plan (SEEMP) that marked the Session as being of historical significance.Adopted as amendments to Annex VI of the MARPOL Regulations these measures, when they enter into effect, will represent the first global mandatory carbon dioxide reductions implemented by any industry.The forum was held on 25 August at GL's Head Office in Hamburg. More than 100 representatives from the maritime ...

India is in the process of acceding to important conventions like the Bunker Convention and OPRC The Environment Protection Act, 1986 is an Umbrella Act to combat pollution in India. As India is a party to International Conventions on Environmental protection, specific laws on pollution prevention from ships have been enacted under the relevant provisions in the Merchant Shipping Act. This was stated by the Union Minister of Shipping, Shri G.K. Vasan in a supplementary reply to a question in Lok Sabha.He further informed that India is also a party to the International Conventions on Safety of Life (SOLAS) and marine pollution, international conventions on marine pollution (MARPOL) which are the main safety and pollution related conventions of the IMO.The Minister said that in the last two years the Cabinet has approved accession to three conventions/protocols. Nairobi International Convention on the Removal of WrecksProtocol of 1996 to the Convention on Limitation of Liability for Maritime ClaimsMARPOL 73/78 convention Annex VI-Regulations for the Prevention of Air Pollution from Ships "We are in the process of acceding to other important conventions like the Bunker Convention and OPRC (Oil Pollution Response Convention) and OPRC-HNS (Oil Pollution response Convention-Hazardous and Noxious Substances) and I ...

By the West of England P&I Club The West of England P&I Club issues New Guidelines for the Carriage of Bulk Blends of Petroleum Oil and Bio-Fuels as follows:The IMO Marine Environment Protection Committee has recently approved the "2011 Guidelines for the Carriage of Blends of Petroleum Oil and Bio-Fuels". The new guidelines, contained in the Annex to MEPC.1/Circ.761, are effective from 1 September 2011, when they will replace the existing interim guidelines.The carriage provisions are based on the volumetric composition of the bio-fuel blend; products containing 75% or more petroleum oil are to be carried in accordance with the requirements of MARPOL Annex I, products containing more than 1% but less than 75% petroleum oil are to be carried in accordance with the requirements of MARPOL Annex II and the conditions detailed in the guidelines. Products containing 1% or less petroleum oil are to be carried under the requirements of MARPOL Annex II.Physical blending of petroleum oil and bio-fuel resulting in a single product must only be carried out whilst the vessel is within port limits. Prior to any such operation it is important that detailed instructions of exactly how such blending is to take place are obtained from ...

The question is what flash point limit represents an acceptable safety risk on board ships The international shipping organisation BIMCO and the shipping giant Maersk have suggested that the time has come to review the regulatory minimum flash point limit for marine fuels, in particular for marine distillates.The International Maritime Organization (IMO) SOLAS regulation requires that fuel used on board ships shall have a flash point of not less than 60C. This is also stated as the minimum flash point limit for marine fuels in ISO 8217, the global fuel standard from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).Flashpoint refers to the lowest temperature at which a fuel can vaporise to form an ignitable mixture in air. Lowering the flash point for marine distillates from 60C to 55C would bring it into line with the limit for inland distillate fuels in Europe and potentially open up a wider supply basis for the marine fuels market.Demand for low sulphur marine gas oil (MGO) has been growing due to European Union (EU) requirements for ships at berth to use fuels with maximum 0.1% sulphur content. Demand for this fuel is expected to surge when the sulphur limit in Emission Control Areas (ECAs) falls ...

Hong Kong Merchant Shipping Information Note The Marine Department of Hong Kong issues Merchant Shipping Note regarding Special Requirements for the use or carriage of oils in the Antarctic Area as follows:This Note advises that a new Chapter 9 to MARPOL Annex I - "Special requirements for the use or carriage of oils in the Antarctic Area" enters into force internationally on 1 August 2011.1. On 26 March 2010, Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) of the International Maritime Organization had adopted, by Resolutions MEPC.189(60), a new Chapter 9 -- "Special requirements for the use or carriage of oils in the Antarctic Area" to MARPOL Annex I. The amendment comes into force on 1 August 2011.2. The resolution MEPC.189(60) can be found as attachment to this Note on the webpage of Marine Department ( http://www.mardep.gov.hk ).3. All parties concerned are advised to note the information provided in the document and act accordingly.Source: Hong Kong Marine Department

MEPC 61 Draft Amendments to MARPOL Annex V Please find here below the following useful informationIMO Draft Amendments to MARPOL Annex V - Regulations for the Prevention of Pollution by Garbage from Ships (Revised MARPOL Annex V)

Resolution MEPC.180(59) Please find here below the following useful informationIMO Amendments to the Survey Guidelines under the Harmonized System of Survey and Certification for the Revised MARPOL Annex VI