Statutory alert: Changes to the requirements for the carriage of blends of petroleum oil and bio-fuels. The 62nd session of the IMO Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 62) agreed that from September 1, 2011, bio-fuel/petroleum oil blends should be carried in accordance with new Guidelines for the Carriage of Blends of Petroleum Oil and Bio-fuel. These are contained in IMO Circular MEPC.1/Circ.761. The Guidelines define bio-fuels as: ethyl alcohol (ethanol), fatty acid methyl esters (FAME), vegetable oils (triglycerides) and alkanes (C10-26), linear and branched with flashpoint of either 60ºC or less or more than 60ºC. Further bio-fuels identified as falling under the scope of the Guidelines will be listed in a new Annex 11 of the MEPC.2/Circular.