Tag: regulatory update

The US Coast Guard is seeking public comment on a proposal to expand regulations on vessel financial responsibility for all tank vessels greater than 100 gross tons as required by statute.

Maritime & Coast Guard Agency issued a marine guidance note for shipowners, operators, and managers informing to have the individual Seafarer Employment Agreements for each seafarer instead of crew agreements.

The Asian Gypsy Moth (AGM) season typically starts from late May to September. During this period, ships calling at certain Far East ports would undergo inspections to certify free of AGM prior to their departure.

Operators should keep in mind that commercial vessels calling at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach will have to ensure compliance with the rules of the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD).

Amid a growing discussion on the need for states to enable crew changes and protect seafarers' rights during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Cyprus Shipping Deputy Ministry (SDM) officially announced a new process to facilitate crew changes, which are now possible under certain conditions.

The COVID-19 situation has triggered, among others, a huge number of oil tankers being time chartered for floating storage purposes due to the collapse in oil prices. BIMCO is receiving enquiries about “floating storage” clauses and questions about what additional wording owners should consider adding to their time charters.

The US Federal Maritime Commission recently issued a new guidance concerning how it will assess the reasonableness of detention and demurrage regulations and practices of ocean carriers and marine terminal operators under 46 U.S.C. 41102(c).

Tank cleaning is one of the key operations on board tanker carriers as it removes any hydrocarbon vapours, liquids or residues from tanks. Tank cleaning is required for many reasons, such as to carry clean ballast, remove sediments from tank top plating, prepare the tankers for internal inspections or prior to entering dry dock.

Effective from 1st March 2020, China's Maritime Safety Agency (MSA) has published new measures  on Agreement for Ship Pollution Response Regime and a Directory of Hazardous Bulk Liquid Cargo Apt to Cause Pollution, for which oil booms need to be deployed during cargo operations or an Agreement with a SPRO needs to be concluded. Meanwhile, IG Clubs has checked this effective date with the China MSA, confirming that this date will remain as 1st March 2020 and will not be postponed due to the COVID-19 outbreak. This forms an update to a 2015 requirement that owners/operators of any ship carrying polluting and hazardous cargoes in bulk or any other ship above 10,000 GT enter into a pollution clean-up contract with a Ship Pollution Response Organisation (SPRO) before the ship enters a PRC port or engages in loading, discharge or ship-to-ship transfers outside of the port but within 20 nm offshore. As a result of the update, there is no material change to the SPRO requirements, according to data provided by the Shipowners' Club. However, from 1st March 2020, no SPRO Agreements will be needed for any of the following: Any ship under 10,000 GT either in ballast or carrying a ...

While New Zealand is taking measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Maritime NZ has taken steps to allow operators to use lifting appliances with expired annual examinations and certificates of test for a specific period of time.