American P&I Club alert re pollution fines
In an urgent alert to American P&I Club members, the managers, following advice from their correspondent in Turkey, Vitsan A.S., Istanbul, recommend that shipowners and their masters take utmost care and effort not to cause any pollution by leakage/spillage of any kind of materials (ie, paint, oil, bilges, clean and dirty ballast, all kinds of residue, garbage, dirty water, sewage, water, laundry water with detergent, lavatory soap water, shower water, dust, rust, etc.) during ship visits to Turkey.
The Turkish authorities have implemented a revised Pollution Fine Tariff for 2013. The new regime will apply to pollution incidents taking place between January 1, 2013 and December 31, 2013.
The fines, calculated on a per gross ton basis, apply to petroleum and its derivatives discharged into the sea by tankers, also the discharge of dirty ballast; petroleum derivatives or dirty ballast discharged by ships or other seagoing vessels; and solid wastes or domestic waste waters discharged by tankers, ships or other seagoing vessels.
Shipowners Claims Bureau Inc., the managers, note that if the polluting vessel discharges any dangerous substances or disposals (defined as thosewhich would have negative physical, chemical and/or biological effects on the local ecology) into the sea, the fine will be calculated at 10 times the published rate for the category of petroleumor petroleum derivatives fines.
Should a ship repeat the pollution offense within 3 years, the fine amount for the second offensewill be doubled, and fines imposed for each subsequent offense will again be doubled.
If a fine is paid prior to the vessel’s sailing or within a maximum of 30 days’ notification of the Administrative Sanction Decree, the owner may be granted a 25% reduction of the total fine amount.
Yoy can find more information on the fine amounts in the American P&I alert, here.
You may also find useful information in the West of England P&I Club news alert regarding the environmental pollution fines for Turkey, referring to the article
Environmental Pollution Fines for Turkey
Source:American P&I Club