New forum on low-sulphur fuel
A new European Sustainable Shipping Forum (ESSF) is to assess developments towards compliance with the IMO 0.1% sulphur content in marine fuel regulations, which are due to come into force from 1 January 2015 in the sulphur emission control areas (SECAs). The secretary-general of the European Community Shipowners’ Associations (ECSA), Patrick Verhoeven, welcomes the establishment of the ESSF. He says: “Not only has the ECSA been actively involved in the preparatory work of the ESSF but we are also fully committed to contributing to and participating in the works of the forum and its four working groups. However, we do expect the work of the ESSF to produce concrete results that will help the industry to be compliant with the IMO 0.1% limit of sulphur content in marine fuel.” Set up by the European Commission (EC), the ESSF is intended to act as a dedicated expert group bringing together representatives of Eu states as well as private and public organisations to enable a structural dialogue, exchange of best practice and technical knowledge, cooperation and coordination between relevant public and private maritime industries, stakeholders and relevant EC services in areas jointly identified. It will consist of four working groups dealing with scrubbers, liquefied natural gas (LNG), innovation and financing respectively. The ESSF is expected to provide an opportunity to discuss practical issues that may be encountered during the implementation process, in particular during the transition phase before the new standards come into force. It will be able to discuss short-term measures and will furthermore take due account of regional specifics wherever necessary.
World Bunkering Winter 2013
WB Book Winter 2013.indb 27
Oily discharges warning
uk-based mutual liability insurer North P&I Club has warned its members of the importance of being ‘above suspicion’ when port authorities allege an oily water discharge. The club draws attention to the risk of multi-million-dollar penalties. In the latest issue of the club’s loss prevention newsletter Signals, the club’s head of loss prevention, Tony Baker, says: “Fines under the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) for bypassing a ship’s oily water separator systems continue to increase. This is particularly so in the uS, where the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (APPS) applies in parallel with the Clean Water Act.” According to North P&I Club, a ship operator was recently fined over $10 million for violations of APPS and obstruction of justice. Another operator and two engineers have just been convicted for conspiracy, failure to maintain an oil record book and falsification of records. Baker notes: “unfortunately, there can also be considerable consequential losses suffered by shipowners and crews who are falsely accused of illegal discharges. These include mental trauma for senior crew members, damage to the ship operator’s reputation, off-hire claims and crew costs during long detentions, and legal costs – which are irrecoverable in the uS, regardless of whether a case succeeds.” He says that ship operators and seafarers must take steps to ensure they do not get caught up in such situations in the first place. “This means ensuring their ships have the best equipment and procedures for handling and accounting for all oily water on board,” he says. The club recommends that oily water separators are reliable, well maintained, user friendly and tamper proof, so that crew members are not tempted to bypass them. The separators should be designated as ‘critical equipment’ within the ship’s safety management system and all oily water should be accounted for in the oil record book. Most importantly, crew members should be fully versed in the equipment, procedures and regulations as well as the importance of being co-operative during port state inspections. According to North P&I Club, a uS district court recently acquitted a shipowner of 16 felony charges for illegal discharge of bilge water by being able to demonstrate that the crew adhered to robust pollution prevention policies and procedures.
Environment
officers, law enforcement officials). It is recommended that readers familiarise themselves with the content of the document to obtain a sense of how the various steps in the enforcement chain are interdependent. However, the document has been developed so that each chapter can also be read in isolation, and readers can quickly identify the specific information they require.” EMSA says that enforcement actions in Europe have had limited results in terms of the number of cases prosecuted and of the level of sanctions applied. It notes: “Given the variety of legal systems and of operational practices in place in the member states, a vigorous and homogeneous enforcement of pollution regulations across waters under the jurisdiction of Eu member states will require considerable effort.”
Tony Baker
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25/11/2013 11:15