Garbage Management News

International Maritime Organization (IMO) is working on best practices to prevent and reduce abandoned, lost or otherwise discarded fishing gear."Abandoned, lost or otherwise discarded fishing gear can continue to capture and kill marine animals and may cause navigational hazards – as well as contributing to the global marine litter problem," the UN body pointed out.IMO is working closely with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) on reducing marine plastic litter from fishing vessels, including fishing gear, as part of the IMO Action Plan on the Reduction of Marine Plastic Litter. This collaboration includes IMO participation at a series of regional FAO-led workshops on best practices to prevent and reduce abandoned…

An Indonesian flagged general cargo ship has been banned from entering or using any port in Australia for three months. The vessel Noah Satu (IMO9313620) has been issued with a direction not to enter or use any port in Australia for three months after being detained by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) four times since August 2013. The ban will remain in place until December 16, 2015. The most recent detention was on September 14, 2015 at Port Alma, Queensland. Noah Satu is owned by PT Anugerah Samudra Indomakur and operated by PT Adnyana, both based in Indonesia. AMSA said its inspections identified deficiencies in relation to Noah Satu that included incorrect navigational charts…

The Hong Kong SAR Marine Department has advised that on 1 July the existing Merchant Shipping (Prevention of Pollution by Garbage) Regulation (Cap 413J) was replaced by a new Regulation, namely, the Merchant Shipping (Prevention of Pollution by Garbage) Regulation (Cap 413O) giving effect to the latest requirements of the MARPOL Annex V -- Prevention of Pollution by Garbage from Ships. This new regulation applies to ships within Hong Kong waters and Hong Kong registered ships wherever they are. Details of Cap 413O can be found from the website - www.legislation.gov.hk/eng/home.htm. 2.2 a ship of 12 metres or more in length overall must display a Garbage Discharge Placard (GDP) onboard to notify crew and passengers of the garbage discharge requirements.

BC Ferries achieved its first certification from Green Marine. BC Ferries joined Green Marine this year and was certified on May 28, 2015,  after having its results reviewed by an independent verifier. Green Marine is a globally recognized, voluntary, industry sustainability initiative for ship operators, ports, terminals and shipyards. It enables participants to reduce their environmental footprint by fostering a culture of continuous improvement and exceeding regulatory compliance. BC Ferries has been certified with Green Marine both as a ship owner and as a terminal operator.

Ship operators concerned about complying with the newly enforced garbage management rules can now turn to Videotel for support. Important new updates to MARPOL Annex V entered into force on January 1, 2013 and have revolutionised the way the industry must look at the issue of waste disposal. In response to this, Videotel has extensively updated its Garbage Management training program to accommodate the radical shift of emphasis the new legislation entails. “Garbage isn’t high on the agenda for many senior executives in most businesses,” says Nigel Cleave, CEO of Videotel Marine International.

Helping the Maritime Community adapt to strict emission regulations. What has changed during 2012 in the maritime world and how has it impacted industry? It is recent IMO Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC), changes. IMO has adopted amendments to the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL). These changes will have a vast and fundamental impact on the maritime industry and the world over the next few years. With new IMO regulations pertaining to emission control areas…

Are You Prepared for the New MARPOL Annex V Garbage Regulations? New regulations addressing garbage management go into effect on January 1, 2013 pursuant to action taken by the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) at its sixty-second session in July 2011 after a comprehensive review of MARPOL Annex V. The new regulations impose stricter garbage management procedures and documentation requirements for all vessels and fixed and floating platforms which will have major implications for industry, as discussed below.

Convictions have been obtained for false entries in garbage record books and ballast water management records. What’s Next? Some years ago, I wrote an article lamenting the fraudulent entries made in many oil record books and the increasing use of those entries as signed confessions in the prosecution of ship owners and operators and senior shipboard personnel (particularly chief engineers) for making false statements to the US Coast Guard. Oil record books are required records on commercial vessels and must be presented to Coast Guard boarding officers on demand.

There was a revolution at IMO Headquarters in July 2011 – and few noticed. While all the attention was focused on greenhouse gas issues, such as the Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) and the Ship Energy Efficiency Management Plan (SEEMP), changes to MARPOL Annex V raised little controversy. In IMO’s official summary of the 62nd session of Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC), which occurred on 11-15 July 2011, adoption of the revised MARPOL Annex V (garbage) merited…

Direct access to the internet from ships at sea can be costly. BIMCO has developed a solution to this problem. BIMCO has transferred a number of its databases from the BIMCO Website into a CD-ROM for use on board ships. The BIMCO Vessel CD-ROM 2002 provides senior officers at sea with BIMCO information and databases already available to shore-based staff with access to the Internet. In addition, the BIMCO Vessel CD-ROM 2002 includes details of the various IMO conventions to which each flag is a signatory, as well as information on flag state requirements for crews, including language skills and certification. Countries with restrictions against certain flags are also indicated. between 10-50 percent available for bulk orders.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) is applying the Lloyd's Register Environmental Protection notation to four LNG ships under construction at its Nagasaki yard. This is the first time this stringent environmental standard has been applied to either LNG or Japanese built ships. Compliance with Lloyd’s Register’s Environmental Protection standard is voluntary. It is for the environmentally conscious owner who wants to manage environmental performance more effectively, and be able to demonstrate it. The notation promotes a standard of environmental performance beyond that covered by ISM and MARPOL, both in terms of design and the on-going operation of the ship.

Celebrity Cruises' Century, Galaxy and Mercury have today been awarded Lloyd's Register's Environmental Protection descriptive note. The 70,000-gt Century; 76,000-gt Galaxy; and 76,000-gt Mercury are the first ships to be assigned EP descriptive notes. The award recognizes Celebrity Cruises' compliance with Lloyd's Register's Provisional Rules for Environmental Protection. All vessels underwent a comprehensive process of plan appraisal, survey and audit to demonstrate compliance with Rules setting requirements for NOx and SOx emission levels from engines; restricting or prohibiting the use of ozone depleting refrigerant gases and fire fighting media…

Marine Pollution Prevention Pocket Checklist, jointly published by Lloyd’s Register and the UK P&I Club, aims to help masters and owners to comply with the various Annexes of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships 1973, as amended by the Protocol of 1978 (MARPOL 73/78). This should help to reduce the risk of Port State Control (PSC) detentions. Produced by experts from Lloyd’s Register and the UK Club, the guide advises masters and owners about their general approach to Port State Control over prospective and actual pollution, and highlights MARPOL deficiencies found in its own classed fleet by PSC. It…