Although there is no formal limitation or ban on the discharge of scrubber wash-water, environmental authorities in Turkey may fine the ship if the samples collected from the overboard discharge line is suspected to be a pollutant, the Standard P&I Club warned.
Following the developments around the coronavirus outbreak, Turkish authorities announced that all ships that have called at “contaminated countries” will be quarantined for 14 days before berthing at Turkish ports.
If customs officials discover a difference between the declared bunker quantity in the vessel’s tanks and the quantity calculated by customs officials, any excessive quantum will be confiscated and taken off the vessel for owners’ account.
Operators with ships trading in Turkey should be aware of the recent increasing trend regarding sudden and unannounced inspections on ships by Turkish customs. Namely, several incidents have been reported where custom officials have boarded ships to check the ship’s actual fuel quantity against the one declared on arrival.
According to Reuters, on 18 February all the vessels operating at the Tripoli Port were forced to evacuate the area as its is said that the Eastern Libyan forces shelled a terminal. In fact, all the offloading operations were cancelled, following the explosion of an LPG tanker discharging in the port.
A recently launched European Union document adds Panama, the Seychelles, the Cayman Islands and Palau into EU’s black list and provides Turkey more time to avoid being listed. The document noted that “the eastern African archipelago of the Seychelles was added to the blacklist because it has an harmful preferential tax regime.”
Kalimbassieris Maritme A.S. recently issued an alert warning shipping companies about the increased trend of unannounced bunker checks in Turkey ports. Specifically, the company reported that Turkish customs officials inspect bunker remains onboard.
Following the launching ceremony of TurkStream gas pipeline several days ago, the Russian company Gazprom informed that successfully supplied its first billion cubic meters of gas through the pipeline. For the records, TurkStream links the gas transmission systems of Russia and Turkey.
The LNG major Shell partnered with Turcas Petrol and launched the first liquefied natural gas filling station in Turkey, commenting that it is an act representing the importance of achieving today’s environmental goals through sustainable methods.
After the launch of the IMO’s 2020 sulphur cap, Turkey updated its fines concerning tariffs for pollution; Accordingly, the new tariffs concern real persons and are applicable from 01/01/20 to 31/12/20. Namely, the fines are divided in four categories: A, B, C and D.
