Lars Robert Pedersen News

The need for ships to change crews and for the world's 1.2 million seafarers to be able to fly home at the end of their periods of service have emerged as two of the biggest challenges facing the shipping industry as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.To help governments put in place coordinated procedures to facilitate the safe movement of seafarers, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) issued a 12-step plan to 174 member states, providing them with a roadmap to free…

Witherbys, in conjunction with BIMCO and International Shipcare, released the Ship Lay-up Guide this week.This new publication is a comprehensive guide to best practice when placing a ship into lay-up and is an essential aid for any ship owners/managers considering ship lay-up.Fully illustrated, with numerous real-world examples, this guide explains why a ship is placed into lay-up and the types of lay-up, as well as providing the reader with information on appraisal, planning, procedures at the lay-up site and reactivation.

BIMCO, the largest of the international shipping associations representing shipowners, has proposed that the Fourth International Maritime Organization (IMO) Greenhouse Gas Study does not include unrealistically high gross domestic product (GDP) growth projections to predict future transport demand - and thereby emissions - of the shipping industry.“It is imperative that the industry – and the world – base discussions and actions to reduce emissions from shipping on credible and realistic projections. If not, we risk making the wrong decisions and spending resources ineffectively,” says Lars Robert Pedersen, BIMCO Deputy Secretary General.BIMCO…

The Baltic and International Maritime Council (BIMCO) and MAN Energy Solutions hosted a conference for software suppliers delivering Computerised Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS) to expand the use of Shipdex.Shipdex is the standard protocol for exchanging technical data - such as manuals – electronically between supplier and ships directly, cutting the need for huge stacks of - often outdated - paper manuals.“Honestly, we would have liked to see more suppliers for the conference. It was well received by the participants, and will result in new users, but we would like a much wider adoption of the protocol. The industry needs to standardise to reap the benefits of digitalisation…

Baltic and International Maritime Council (BIMCO) has been a proponent for a carriage ban of non-compliant fuel (unless the ship has a scrubber) and is pleased to see it adopted with a start date of 1 March 2020, said a release from the international shipping association.“A carriage ban on non-compliant fuel is critical in order for the member states to be able to enforce the sulphur regulation,” Lars Robert Pedersen, BIMCO Deputy Secretary General.Two key developments were the adoption of the ban from 1 March 2020 on carriage of non-compliant fuel and the compromise reached on collecting data from the world fleet on fuel oil non-availability and quality without any delay in the implementation of the 2020 sulphur rules.“We are overall very satisfied with the outcome of MEPC 73.

"The IMO has done something no one has done before: set an absolute target for emission reductions for an entire industry. It is a landmark achievement in the effort to reduce emissions, and something that every other industry should look to for inspiration," says Lars Robert Pedersen, BIMCO Deputy Secretary General and delegate at the IMO meeting. BIMCO is very satisfied with the Green House Gas (GHG) strategy adopted by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) at the Marine Environment Protection Committee on April 13. The strategy outlines a target to reduce GHG emissions by at least 50% by 2050 compared to 2008 while pursuing efforts towards phasing them out.

BIMCO has launched a practical guide for shipmasters managing new ballast water management systems. It coincides with the entry into force of the IMO's Ballast Water Management (BWM) Convention. BIMCO’s new Shipmaster’s Ballast Water Manual provides clear, accessible information for seafarers dealing with practicalities of daily ballast water management. The manual covers all aspects of the Convention, including regulatory implementation, inspections by port state control and charterers and the latest guidance issued by the IMO. The BWM Convention came into force on 8 September 2017. To prevent the transfer of potentially invasive species, ballast water must now be treated before it is unloaded into a new location, so that any micro-organisms or small marine species are destroyed.

BIMCO and Shipdex have signed an agreement to support the development and exchange of technical and logistic data across the shipping community, and to include BIMCO as an executive member of Shipdex steering committee. The agreement was signed at BIMCO Head office, Copenhagen by Lars Robert Pedersen, BIMCO Deputy Secretary General and representatives from the original nine executive members – Grimaldi Group S.P.A., Mastermind Shipmanagement Ltd., Alfa Laval Tumba AB, MacGregor Group AB, Man Diesel & Turbo SE, Shipdex Consulting Ltd, Yanmar Company Ltd., G&C Shipping Ltd. and Rolls Royce PLC. The two organisations share a common interest to promote the standardisation and digitalisation of data exchange in the shipping industry…

With an average age of 23.8 years, the fleet of very large ore carriers (VLOC) converted from very large crude carriers (VLCC) is vintage compared to the average age of 5.7 years for non-converted ore carriers above 200,000 DWT, according to BIMCO. But despite the huge 18.1 years age gap between converted VLOCs and normal VLOCs, the age itself is not the all-important explanatory factor behind a demolition decision. Naturally safety is a paramount issue, but also the fact that the vessels are still employed on a contract.

The International Maritime Organization’s proposals to reduce sulfur levels in marine fuels to a maximum of 0.5 percent m/m (mass/mass) by 2020 may prove to be controversial, having met with various responses from major shipping organisations and other bodies. The decision to implement the proposals by 2020 was taken by IMO, the regulatory authority for international shipping, during its Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 70) meeting, which was held in London, UK in October 2016, and represents a significant reduction from the 3.5 percent m/m global limit currently in place.

BIMCO, the world’s largest international shipping association, has responded to the decision at the International Maritime Organization’s Marine (IMO) Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) on the implementation of the global sulphur cap for shipping. Lars Robert Pedersen, Deputy Secretary General at BIMCO gave the following statement: “BIMCO respects the decision of the MEPC to move ahead and implement the global sulphur cap by January 1, 2020. “BIMCO recognizes that the global sulphur cap implementation is about transition and would have been equally challenging either in 2020 or 2025. The transitional issues have been highlighted and we continue to hold the view that this will not be a ‘walk in the park’.

BIMCO has announced that its new Secretary General/CEO to succeed Mr Torben C. Skaanild on his retirement later this year will be Mr Angus R. Frew, currently Chief Executive of the UK Chamber of Shipping. The appointment of Mr Frew was unanimously approved last week by the BIMCO Executive Committee at its meeting in Shanghai. It is expected that Mr Frew, who will be relocating to Denmark, will take up his appointment on 1st October 2013. Mr Skaanild will continue in a support role to the new Secretary General, and the incoming President of BIMCO, for a period of six months thereafter.

BIMCO has stated today that it appreciates the new efforts by EU leaders to reduce increasing reliance on merchant shipping to rescue the growing numbers of distressed migrants in the Mediterranean Sea. BIMCO welcomed the announcement last night (23 April), that the funding of Operation Triton will be increased to match that previously allocated to Operation Mare Nostrum. It also welcomed the contribution of extra ships, planes and helicopters that many countries will make to assist with the search and rescue capabilities of the region. “The shipping industry has recently highlighted the risks to the health, safety and security of seafarers who assist distressed migrants in increasingly large numbers.

BIMCO has shared the two critical issues at the top of its own priority list ahead of the IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) meeting next week. These are: (1) approving a mandatory data collection system for fuel used on ships in international trade and (2) tangible progress on the revision of the G8 guidelines for approval of ballast water management systems – to address the concerns that surround IMO’s Ballast Water Convention coming into force in the near future. The data collection system is a necessary first step in IMO’s agreed 3-step process on further greenhouse gas actions for shipping. The three steps will be: (1) collection of data on fuel use – for which a system needs to be approved…

BIMCO have launched an exclusive package for its members to aide efficiency improvements within their operations. The package, consisting of both a supportive guide to efficiency technologies and the market and a two-day conference and workshop summit, has been put together by Fathom, in recognition of BIMCO’s ongoing support. The publication included in the package, Fathom’s Ship Efficiency: The Guide Second Edition is a unique publication for the maritime industry that critically examines all ship fuel and emissions saving technologies…

The subject of Carbon Dioxide dominates the future of many industries today. Whether it be the Shipping, Automotive, Aviation, or Power Generation industries the questions of how to account for, reduce, produce, capture and minimise the impact of Carbon Dioxide generated by that industry is seldom left out of the discussion. So it was Germanischer Lloyd’s traditional recap of the latest session of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) of International Maritime Organization (IMO), focused on the groundbreaking developments at the 62nd session. The 62nd Session was notable for several reasons, the use of a vote to approve the measures rather than by consensus and the establishment of a North American emissions control area for example.

BIMCO has today announced its support for a report identifying ways to reduce red tape for shipping which will be presented to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) next week in London. The report comes from the Ad Hoc Steering Group for Reducing Administrative Requirements (SG-RAR), set up by the IMO in 2012, and contains their findings and conclusions on the best ways to lessen administrative burdens associated with mandatory IMO conventions and codes. The report also contains the results and analysis of the first-ever public consultation undertaken by the IMO between May and November 2013. * Electronic certificates and similar documents to have equal weight as original paper certificates.

BIMCO raises serious concern over data on available fuel ahead of MEPC decision on global sulphur cap implementation date. BIMCO, the world’s largest international shipping association, has today voiced serious concerns about some of the conclusions of the official study that will inform the decision of the MEPC over the implementation date of the 0.5% global sulphur cap. -On fuel oil quality. A significant amount of the fuel oil that the IMO study concludes will be available for marine use is unsafe to store and use onboard ships. -On how an assessed shortage of sulphur removal capacity in refineries will be resolved so that capacity would be in place by 2020. -The study fails to model the disruption that an overnight introduction of the global cap (from 31 December 2019) would cause.

BIMCO releases ‘The Step-by-Step Ship Energy Efficiency Management Plan (SEEMP) Manual’ in association with Fathom. The manual, which can be utilized as a ship’s official Ship Energy Efficiency Management Plan (SEEMP), has been developed to enable ship owners to plan, manage and document the energy efficiency performance of their ships. SEEMP regulation becomes mandatory from January 2013. “BIMCO supported the SEEMP regulation to enable ship-owners to better optimise their energy consumption.

BIMCO has appointed Lars Robert Pedersen as new Deputy Secretary General of BIMCO as of 1 February 2010. Lars Robert Pedersen is currently Director of Regulatory Affairs in Maersk Maritime Technology at A.P. Moller-Maersk Group in Copenhagen. Apart from being part of the Management team, BIMCO's two Deputies will respectively overlook the two most important areas of the association's work. Lars Robert Pedersen will focus on further consolidating BIMCO's Industry Affairs activities involving political and regulatory developments at international…