Marine Link
Thursday, March 28, 2024
SUBSCRIBE

Marine Environment Protection Committee News

25 Mar 2024

IMO Approves Two New Emission Control Areas

Ā© wifesun / Adobe Stock

The IMOā€™s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 81) approved the establishment of two new Emission Control Areas (ECAs) in the Arctic when it met last week.The ECA in Canadian Arctic Waters is for nitrogen oxides, sulphur oxides and particulate matter. The Norwegian Sea ECA is for nitrogen oxides and sulphur oxides. The ECA proposals will now be submitted to MEPC 82 for adoption.ā€œThe creation of these two new Emission Control Areas will set an important precedent for protection of our climate and our oceanā€¦

24 Mar 2024

ICS Responds to MEPC81 Outcomes

Source: IMO

The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) has issued a statement following the conclusion of the IMO Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC81) Meeting last week.ā€œWe welcome the progress made during these intensive negotiations to achieve net zero emissions from shipping, and the support received from around 60 Member States for a flat rate contribution system per tonne of GHG. The purpose of the proposed system, put forward by the ICS, is to reduce the cost gap and incentivise the accelerated uptake of green marine fuelsā€¦

18 Mar 2024

Houthi Attacks Must Ease for Salvage of Two Vessels, IMO Head Says

On March 2 at approximately 2:15 a.m. (Sanaa time), Rubymar, a Belize-flagged, UK-owned bulk carrier, sank in the Red Sea after being struck by an Iranian-backed Houthi anti-ship ballistic missile on Feb. 18. The ship had been slowly taking on water since the attack. (Photo: U.S. Central Command)

Efforts to limit environmental damage from a cargo vessel that sank after a Houthi missile strike and another abandoned during a fiery assault are on hold until attacks on ships ease, the United Nations' maritime shipping regulatory agency said on Monday.The UK-owned Rubymar last month became the first vessel lost since the Houthis began targeting commercial ships in the Red Sea area in November. The bulk carrier with 21,000 metric tons of fertiliser contained in its cargo holdā€¦

26 Feb 2024

IMOā€™s PPR11 Agrees Guidance on Key Environmental Issues

Source: IMO

The IMOā€™s Sub-Committee on Pollution Prevention and Response (PPR 11) agreed new guidance on several key environmental issues.Meeting from February 19 to 23, 2024, the following guidance will now be submitted to the Marine Environment Protection Committee for approval this March (MEPC 81) and October (MEPC 82):ā€¢ the safe transport of plastic pellets by seaā€¢ best practices for cutting black carbon emissions from ships operating in or near the Arcticā€¢ reducing risks of use and carriageā€¦

25 Feb 2024

IMO Finalizes Arctic Pollution Prevention Guideline Drafts

Source: IMO

The IMO Pollution Prevention and Response Sub-Committee PPR 11 was held February 19-23, and agreement was reached on guidance for the prevention of pollution in the Arctic marine environment.The guidance will now be presented to the IMOā€™s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC).Lloydā€™s Register reports the following was agreed at PPR 11:ā€¢ Draft guidance on best practice for goal-based control measures to reduce the impact on the Arctic of black carbon emissions from international shipping (expected to be approved at MEPC 82ā€¦

15 Feb 2024

Call for IMO to Resolve Inconsistencies in Ship Recycling Conventions

Ā© saintmichel85 / Adobe Stock

BIMCO, Bangladesh, India, Norway, Pakistan and the ICS have submitted a paper ahead of the 81st Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) meeting on March 18-22 that highlights the need to resolve possible conflicts between the Hong Kong Convention and the Basel Convention.The Hong Kong Convention will enter into force on June 26, 2025, and the co-signatories of the paper ask for clarification and assurance that shipowners and parties operating in compliance with the Hongā€¦

02 Feb 2024

IMO Secretary-General Sets Fresh Agenda for Maritime

Source: IMO

IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez has shared the Organizationā€™s plans and focus areas for the next four years.Speaking at a press conference at IMO Headquarters in London, Dominguez outlined four strategic priorities:ā€¢ IMOā€™s work to regulate international shipping;ā€¢ its support to Member States ā€“ particularly Small Island Developing States and Least Developed Countries;ā€¢ enhancing public awareness and image; andā€¢ relations with people and stakeholders. He said: ā€œAs a global industry that is responsible for transporting over 80% of trade around the world, shipping is indispensable.

14 Jan 2024

2023 a Record Setting Year for Singapore

Source: Government of Singapore

Chee Hong Tat, Singaporeā€™s Acting Minister for Transport, announced a record year in 2023 at a Singapore Maritime Foundation New Year Conversations event.The annual vessel arrival tonnage in the Port of Singapore crossed three billion gross tonnage (GT) for the first time, increasing by 9.4% over 2022 and setting a high of 3.09 billion GT in 2023. This reflects growth in all segments, including container ships, dry bulk carriers, liquid bulk and chemical tankers, ferries and specialised vesselsā€¦

09 Jan 2024

Indian Register of Shipping Announces New Managing Director

Source: IRS

With the rapid expansion of the Indian Register of Shipping (IRS), P.K. Mishra, previously Head of Operations, has been promoted to Joint Managing Director, effective January 1, 2024.Joining as a Surveyor with IRS in 1998, Mishra rose through the ranks to become Chief Surveyor in 2023. With close to 25 years of experience in IRS and the industry handling key responsibilities, he has been an integral part of the organisation. Throughout his time in IRS, Mishra has consistently demonstrated leadershipā€¦

28 Dec 2023

Workboat Power: Alternatives Join Diesel to Power Currentā€”and Futureā€”Vessels

Crowleyā€™s new electric tug eWolf is being built by Master Boat Builders for scheduled delivery in 2024. (Image: Crowley)

Analysts and commentators are quick to point out that fossil fuels will power maritime equipment, and indeed dominate the fueling marketplace, well into the future. However, they will do so alongside new fuels, and new technologies, that will be introduced to the maritime sector in the coming years. In its September, 2023 report ā€œBeyond the Horizon: View of the Emerging Energy Value Chainsā€, the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) explains that, ā€œDuring the recent 80th meeting of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 80)ā€¦

19 Dec 2023

IMO Workshop Advances Life Cycle Intensity of Fuels

Source: IMO

An Expert Workshop on the life cycle GHG intensity of marine fuels (GHG-EW 4) was organized by IMO December 14-15, 2023, to support the further development of the IMO life cycle GHG intensity assessment (LCA) framework.The workshop focused on the sustainability, certification and third-party verification of marine fuels.In adopting the IMO LCA Guidelines, MEPC 80 in July 2023 requested the Secretariat to undertake a review of existing practices on sustainability aspects/certificationā€¦

12 Sep 2023

IMO Provides Interim Guidance on Biofuels in Relation to CII

Ā© Scanrail / Adobe Stock

The 80th session of the IMOā€™s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 80), held in July 2023, has approved the interim guidance on the use of biofuels.This is in relation to assigning CO2 Emission Conversion Factor (Cf) under the Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) regulations and when reporting fuel consumption to the IMO Data Collection System (IMO DCS).Flag States are encouraged to apply the interim guidance on use of biofuels under regulations 26, 27 and 28 of MARPOL Annexā€¦

21 Jul 2023

DNV, UAE Ministry of Infrastructure & Energy to Set Up Maritime Decarbonization Center

The signing took place at IMO headquarters in London. (From L to R: Kitack Lim, Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), Knut Ƙrbeck-Nilssen, CEO of DNV Maritime, H.E Hessa Al Malek, Advisor to the Minister for Maritime & Transport Affairs, MOEI, H.E Mohamed Al Kaabi, UAE IMO Permanent Representative). - Credit: DNV

Suhail Al Mazrouei, United Arab Emirates (UAE) Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, and Knut Ørbeck-Nilssen, CEO of DNV Maritime, representing the Foundation Det Norske Veritas, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on establishing a new UAE Decarbonization Center. The MOU was signed at a ceremony at the International Maritime Organization's headquarters in London, H.E "The Marine Environment Protection Committeeā€™s (MEPC) 80th session this month showed that shipping is now on an accelerating path towards full decarbonization.

12 Jul 2023

SeaARCTOS: New ECAs Need New Approach to Emissions Monitoring

Source: SeaARCTOS

Flag and port state control authorities will need new tools to monitor compliance within the next wave of Emissions Control Areas (ECAs) if compliance is to meet minimum standards, according to emissions management start-up SeaARCTOS.ā€œThere is a risk that as the industry focuses on carbon, that sulfur emissions fall into the background, but they continue to present a serious public health risk and a compliance challenge,ā€ says Michael Kougellis, SeaARCTOS CEO. ā€œGrowth in the ECA network means that demand for emissions monitoring and compliance management will continue to increaseā€¦

03 Jul 2023

UMAS: IMO Intersessional Working Group Made Little Headway on GHG strategy

MEPC 80 Plenary (Source: IMO)

The fifteenth Intersessional Working Group on Greenhouse Gases (ISWG GHG 15) that concluded last week left key details undecided, says advisory service company UMAS.The meeting was the final working group meeting before the 80th session of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) this week. MEPC 80 is a critical moment for the IMO because it coincides both with the adoption of a Revised GHG Reduction Strategy (Revised Strategy), as well as being the point that a set of policy measures key for enabling that strategyā€¦

03 Jul 2023

Nine Organisations Commit to Book and Claim Systems

Source: Torvald Klaveness

Nine companies across the maritime value chain have issued a joint statement expressing their commitment to developing and implementing robust book and claim chain of custody systems to accelerate the early phases of shippingā€™s decarbonisation. The signatories of the joint statement ā€“ Aspen Shipping Decarbonization Initiative, DHL Global Forwarding, Hapag Lloyd, Kuehne + Nagel, Norden, Oldendorff Carriers, ONE, Torvald Klaveness, and Yara Clean Ammonia ā€“belong to the Getting to Zero coalitionā€¦

19 Jun 2023

IMO to Review GHG Strategy and More at MEPC 80

MEPC 79 (Source: IMO)

The IMOā€™s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) - 80th session will meet at IMO Headquarters in London from July 3-7, and amongst key agenda items, the MEPC 80 session is expected to adopt an upgraded IMO greenhouse gas strategy.The revised IMO GHG Strategy will contain concrete greenhouse gas reduction targets for the sector and is expected to outline a range of technical and economic measures. Negotiations have been ongoing and will continue during the Intersessional Working Group on Reduction of GHG Emissions from Ships (ISWG-GHG 15)ā€¦

18 May 2023

US, UK, Others Seek to Target Illicit Oil Shipping Transfers at Sea

Illustration only - Ā©Igor Groshev/AdobeStock

The U.S., UK, Denmark, and other countries have called for more action, including increased surveillance, over the booming practice of unregulated oil transfers at sea, as fears grow over potential pollution, according to a paper submitted to the U.N."These transfers undermine the rules-based international order and increase the risk of pollution to nearby coastal States. This threatens global efforts to prevent pollution from ships," the paper said.The paper was submitted to United Nations shipping agencyā€¦

25 Oct 2022

Samskip Inks Biofuel Supply Deal with GoodFuels

(Photo: Samskip)

Samskip has extended its commitment to sustainable biofuels in shortsea shipping operations, calculating that it will make 45,000 tonnes in additional CO2 emissions savings before the year is out as a result.The European multimodal group has signed a new agreement with supplier GoodFuels, committing the Samskip containerships Endeavour, Innovator, Hofell and Skatafell to run on marine grade bio-residual fuels.Offering a drop-in replacement that cuts 90% cuts off the CO2 emissions generated by conventional fuel oilsā€¦

13 Feb 2023

Passenger Vessels: Rising to the Challenge

Ā© sheilaf2002 / Adobe Stock

Interferry CEO Mike Corrigan explains the driving forces behind the global trade associationā€™s imperative to keep its foot on the gas.Interferry and its members scaled some demanding peaks in 2022 but, to state the obvious, our work is never done. Facing an equally busy schedule of challenges and opportunities in the year ahead, we need to keep climbing ā€“ a truism that has been memorably expressed as ā€˜the top of one mountain is always the bottom of anotherā€™.Our 46th annual conference in Seattle last October was definitely one of the peaksā€¦

28 Dec 2022

Singapore's Tan tapped as Vice-Chair of IMO MEPC

Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) officer, Tan Hanqiang, currently First Secretary (Maritime), High Commission of the Republic of Singapore to the United Kingdom (UK), has been appointed by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) as Vice-Chair of the IMO Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) with effective December 16, 2022. Tan succeeds Harry Conway (Liberia).This marks the first time a Singaporean has assumed the Vice-Chair appointment for the IMO MEPC in more than 20 years. Previously, an MPA Officer, Mr Zafrul Alam, served as Vice-Chair for IMO MEPC from 1999 to 2000.

30 Jan 2023

IMO Targets Subsea Ship Noise with New Draft Guidelines

Copyright Coffeemill/AdobeStock

Draft revised Guidelines for the reduction of underwater noise from commercial shipping to address adverse impacts on marine life have been agreed by the IMO Sub-Committee on Ship Design and Construction (SDC 9), which met January 23-27, 2023.The draft guidelines recognize that commercial shipping is one of the main contributors to underwater radiated noise (URN) which has adverse effects on critical life functions for a wide range of marine life, including marine mammals, fish and invertebrate speciesā€¦

25 Oct 2022

ICS Proposes Fund to Reward Use of Low Emission Fuels

Ā© Debbie Ann Powell / Adobe Stock

A new plan proposed by the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) aims to reward ships and energy producers that invest in low/net zero emission fuels.The organization, which represents 80% of the worldā€™s merchant fleet, on Tuesday said it send a notice to UN regulator the International Maritime Organization (IMO) proposing a "fund and reward" system to catalyze the adoption of alternative fuels, which currently cost at least two or three times more than conventional marine fuel.Theā€¦