Tag: regulatory update

After the IMO Intersessional Working Group meeting last week concluded, IBIA said that it is positive that there is a significant support among IMO member States to ensure consistency in fuel oil testing and verification procedures. However, discussions on a number of agenda items were left with unresolved issues.

Guido Van Meel, Secretary General of Euroshore International (a non-profit association of waste contractors specialised in ships’ waste) discusses the key challenges with respect to scrubbers taking into consideration a combination of factors that cannot be disregarded amid the legal background.  

ICS is encouraged by efforts made by IMO Member States to resolve some pressing practical challenges ahead of the 2020 sulphur cap global implementation. The announcement comes by ICS Secretary General, Peter Hinchliffe, after the IMO Intersessional Working Group meeting last week.

As 2018 marks 70 years since the IMO Convention entered into force, the IMO issued a short animated film showing how the organization has developed mandatory international regulations covering almost every aspect of shipping: safety, environmental protection, search and rescue, security, Arctic routes and many others. 

On 10 July, Jamaica's House of Representatives passed the Ballast Water Management Bill, which is aimed at protecting Jamaica’s marine environment, by implementing measures to prevent ships from introducing foreign aquatic species when entering domestic waters.

The Union of Greek Shipowners hailed the IMO Intersessional Working Group's move to take into account several safety concerns linked to the transition to new low-sulphur fuels, especially blended fuels, ahead of the 0.5% global sulphur cap entering into force form 1 January 2020. 

On 9 July, a Court in Marseille started the trial for the Captain of the cruise ship 'Azura', who was sued over breaching sulphur fuel limit, during a stopover in Marseilles, on 29 March. In the first case of its kind in Europe, if found guilty, the Master could face up to a year in prison and a fine of up to €200,000.

HFO for sea-going vessels does not comply with European rules for chemicals, while there is insufficient report of what the fuel contains. Users, emergency services workers, competent authorities and terminals therefore do not have a reliable picture of the risks, according to investigations by ILT.

Amendments to the STCW Convention and the STCW Code set a new requirement for training and emergency familiarization of crewmembers on passenger ships, effective from 1st of July 2018. All personnel are required to have undergone relevant training before being assigned to shipboard duties.

As the shipping industry seeks to adopt cleaner practices in line with global environmental regulations, Dutch-based shipping company Spliethoff Group reiterated its commitment to cleaner shipping by investing in scrubbers for the 24th vessel of its fleet. 30 more vessels will follow, the company said.