The latest legal briefing from the UK P&I Club covers the Polar Code: a new regulation for polar shipping.
This briefing is one of a continuing series which aims to share the legal expertise within the Club with its Members.
A significant proportion of the expertise in the Managers’ offices around the world consists of lawyers who can advise Members on general P&I related legal, contractual and documentary issues.
The International Code for Ships Operating in Polar Waters was adopted by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) on 15th May 2015, and expected to come into force on 1 January 2017.
The code is mandatory and comprises of detailed requirements relating to safety, design, construction, operations, training and the prevention of environmental pollution.The Code applies to all shipping and maritime operations apart from fishing ships, ships under 500 tonnes and fixed structures.
Pollution prevention measures
The discharge of oil/oily mixtures from any ship into Arctic waters is prohibited by the Code.This includes any noxious liquid substances or any mixture containing such substances as well as sewage and garbage unless discharged in accordance with MARPOL Annex IV andV. However, this prohibition does not apply to clean or segregated ballast. The Code also requires that oil fuel tanks of Category A and Category B ships be separated from the outer hull.
The Polar Code brings with it numerous requirements and necessities for all ships trading in the polar regions and therefore a great deal of investment will need to be made by operators in this region. It is without doubt that these requirements are necessary, especially given that the standard SOLAS ships are generally considered only to be adequate in open water conditions, where ice coverage is less than 10% and the average lowest daily air temperature is not lower than minus 10 degrees.
Further details may be found by reading UK P&I Club Legal Briefing on Polar Code:
Source: The UK P&I Club
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