Tag: regulatory update

From 15 May, all commercial and recreational vessel operators will have to show they have managed biofouling on their vessels before they enter New Zealand waters. In view of this, NZ's Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) has released guidance on how international vessels can comply with strict new biofouling rules.

During his presentation at the last GREEN4SEA Conference, Mr. Sotiris Raptis, Senior Policy Advisor for Environment and Safety, EcoPorts Coordinator, ESPO, focused on the position of European ports on the revision of the Port Reception Facilities Directive, recently published by the European Commission.

Terms ‘remote-controlled’, ‘unmanned’, ‘automated’ and ‘autonomous’ have all been used when describing the new technology, but they all mean very different things. It is very possible that, in the future, vessels could be remote-controlled but still retain some onboard manning. Or perhaps they will be traditionally manned, where autonomous systems are used as a decision support tool.

China Classification Society provided an unofficial translation explaining the regulations on prevention and control of ship pollution which are coming into force from 1 May, 2018 in Tianjin, Northern China's largest port.

IMO is at risk of unresolved conflicts of interest due to shortcomings in its governance, according to a new study by Transparency International. The anti-corruption organisation noted that private shipping-industry concerns could have undue influence over the policymaking process at the IMO, which could impede actions against GHG emissions.

On the sidelines of CMA’s Shipping 2018 earlier in March, Ms. Mayte Medina of USCG said increasing efficiency and reducing cost, increasing environmental concerns and safety are all drivers in the industry’s advancement towards autonomous shipping. As such, IMO must ensure the future regulatory regime is fair and consistent.

IMCA and OCIMF agreed to establish a joint committee to review, share and progress developments of the Offshore Vessel Inspection Database system, aiming to improve the efficiency of vessel assurance process, while at the same time maintaining the highest standards of vessel assurance and risk management.

Responding to the recent report by RORC on US marine firefighting, the president of the American Salvage Association, Jim Elliott, noted that the salvage industry is meeting US regulatory requirements and it can continuously improve the nation’s salvage and marine firefighting capabilities, but within a regulatory system that is working and evolving.

Denmark introduced new regulation, aiming to simplify the handling of medical supplies for survival craft and the handling of medicine onboard Danish ships abroad. Upon the new regulations become effective on 1 July 2018, the requirement for ships’ medicine to be bought from a Danish pharmacy will be abolished.

The US Coast Guard issued a reminder on the MARPOL Annex VI amendment, regarding the implementation of an exemption for ships not intended for service within North American ECA, to be allowed to enter and depart the ECA with an IMO Tier II compliant engine. The amendment is entering into force on 1 January 2019.