Environmental Committee News

An oil slick washed up over the weekend on the coastline of Venezuela's western Falcon state, known for pristine beaches and nature preserves, two opposition lawmakers said on Monday, though there was no official comment on the spill's provenance.Maria Hernandez, who chairs the opposition-held National Assembly's environmental committee, said she was concerned about the effect of pollution on marine life as well as water supplies onshore.A satellite image posted on Twitter by…

Green Marine and the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (SNAME) signed a partnership agreement to further their common goals in fostering greater environmental sustainability in the maritime sector.The agreement, signed earlier this year, will serve as a framework to enhance technical cooperation between the two parties and encourage the exchange of information to raise awareness for both organizations and in program development towards environmental advancement.Through this cooperation, Green Marine gains access to a greater pool of technical experts and delegates Dr.

European shipowners strongly believe that the environmental committee of the IMO, MEPC, can reach an ambitious initial CO2 reduction strategy by the end of this week, building on the results of the meeting of the intersessional working group of last week. Realising that governments have to take and give during the negotiations, which will not be easy and requires courage to do, European Community Shipowners' Associations (ECSA) is confident that ultimately all governments will realise that a deal has to be made. A deal based on the ambitious European approach, taking into account legitimate concerns of developing countries and of countries threatened in their existence by a rising sea level, is in the opinion of ECSA possible and necessary.

A new study published by U.K.-based InfluenceMap has accused prominent shipping industry organizations of aggressive lobbying to obstruct climate change action. The report claims corporations have unmatched power to shape regulations at the United Nations’ shipping body, the International Maritime Organization (IMO). The report – Corporate capture of the IMO – has been timed for release to coincide with the start of the next round of IMO climate talks kicking off this week. "Despite being responsible for close to 3 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, the shipping sector remains outside of the UN Paris Climate Agreement. A 2015 European Parliament report estimated that shipping could be responsible for 17 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 if left unregulated…

The Sustainable Shipping Initiative (“SSI”), a pioneering coalition of companies from across the global shipping industry, today set out what it believes are the required immediate actions for creating a framework to reduce Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions from shipping. The announcement comes ahead of the landmark Marine Environmental Committee Meeting (MEPC 70, 24th – 28th October), where the SSI believes that the International Maritime Organization (IMO), and all organisations and member states represented at MEPC must demonstrate a commitment to the Paris Agreement’s objective of keeping global warming below two degrees. This can be achieved by adopting a detailed IMO roadmap for establishing shipping’s ‘fair share’ of global emission reductions to be decided on at MEPC 70.

Measures to assist in accelerating the entry into force and implementation of the key international convention designed to eradicate the global spread of harmful organisms in ships’ ballast water were adopted by the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC), of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), when it met for its 67th session (October 13-17, 2014). The International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments, 2004 (the BWM Convention)…

The Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (SNAME) will host a workshop on Marine Energy Efficiency for ships, tugs, ferries and OSVs at the Maritime Institute of Technology and Graduate Studies (MITAGS) in Linthicum Heights, Maryland, March 11-12. With a focus on the theoretical and practical aspects of reducing vessel fuel consumption, the two-day workshop will feature technical discussions from a Webb Institute Professor of Ship Design and a representative of the Danish Shipowners Association…

Deborah Hadden has been appointed Port Director by Thomas P. Glynn, CEO of the Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport). In her new role, Hadden will be responsible for directing the planning, development, marketing, operation, security, financial management, administration and maintenance of Massport’s non-aviation properties in the Port of Boston. Hadden had been Acting Port Director since October, 2012, and was instrumental in achieving many successes in directing the Port of Boston in the last 10 months.

New sewage discharge requirements for passenger vessels within the Baltic Sea and a new sewage treatment plant performance test/standard for all ships came into force on January 1, 2013, under MARPOL Annex IV*. These apply as follows. In general, the discharge of sewage from existing passenger ships will be prohibited within the Baltic Sea special area on or after January 1, 2018. New passenger vessels will be prohibited from discharging sewage within the Baltic Sea on or after January 1, 2016. •or regardless of the building contract signing date or keel laying date the delivery of which is on after January 1, 2018. The performance test/standard for sewage treatment plants has been updated and is detailed in section 4 of Resolution MEPC.227(64).

The IMO's Maritime Safety Committee 78th session (MSC 78) embarked on the difficult task of developing "goal-based standards" for newbuildings. MSC 78 has unanimously agreed to begin this complex endeavour at the next session of this Committee (MSC 79). The base document that will be considered is a joint submission by the Bahamas, Greece and IACS. INTERTANKO will be closely involved in this process through its Safety, Technical and Environmental Committee (ISTEC). It is important at this stage to note that many Flag Administrations have recommended that operational and maintenance standards be included among the criteria used to define the "goal based standard". INTERTANKO believes that the first important element to be agreed by the IMO should be the structure of the process.

Communications and IT companies in shipping were toasted at the CITIS 2002 Awards in London in March with top honors going to a daily electronic newspaper, an evacuation simulator, a collision avoidance trainer and a message management concept. In addition to innovation awards in four categories, International Maritime Organization secretary general William O’Neil received a lifetime achievement award for overseeing the introduction of the Global Maritime Distress & Safety System. The winners, selected by expert judges from a shortlist of three in each category, were announced at a gala dinner at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre during the sixth CITIS event, organized by Lloyd’s List Events.

It’s a concept that has sparked a multitude of papers, essays and analysis, yet the notion of sustainable development has still to be fully recognized by the maritime world. Or has it? Invasive species, harmful anti-fouling paints and the dismantling of ships on the beaches of developing countries are just a part of a long list of environmental concerns that the maritime world is faced with. What is not illustrated by such a list is the interaction of each of the areas of concern when it comes to resolving their environmental impacts. One issue cannot be resolved without the consideration of the potential implication to all the other issues.

INTERTANKO welcomes the development of Common Structural Rules for Tankers which are seen as an evolution and, importantly a unification of the current individual Classification Societies regulations. This is an industry pro-active initiative which would further contribute to preserve the Tanker Industry excellence in safe operations and environmental protection. INTERTANKO has been an active supporter of the development of Common Structural Rules and contributed with constructive comments to a cross-industry response to the initial draft regulations which resulted in what we believe will be a substantial revision. (d) Urges that the new rules be implemented on the schedule now proposed.

INTERTANKO welcomes the IMO Assembly’s decision to develop mandatory measures on ship recycling. We will continue to provide support and guidance (from our members as well as from our secretariat) to the IMO during the development of the legally binding instrument, as we have done to MEPC 53 during the development of the Industry Code of Practice on Ship Recycling and the IMO’s Guidelines on Ship Recycling. As part of the ongoing effort to alleviate through international regulation the current environmental and worker health and safety problems at ship recycling facilities, INTERTANKO’s members will be able to offer feedback based on practical, hands-on experience gained by the actual implementation of these Guidelines and the Code of Practice.

The third meeting of INTERTANKO’s Latin American Panel convened in Miami on July 24 to discuss a wide-ranging agenda. Capt. Howard Snaith updated the Panel on recent changes and increased activity on issues concerning chemical tankers within the Association and further reported on recent discussions at MEPC 49, which culminated in a compromise proposal for revisions of MARPOL Annex II. Of particular interest to the region, it was reported that Brazil had signed an agreement for the use of CDI reports for Port State Control purposes. It was agreed that INTERTANKO would encourage other countries in the region to use both CDI and SIRE reports, either through the Viña del Mar - the Latin American Agreement on Port State Control - or by direct contact with maritime authorities in each country.

American Panel covered a wide-ranging and ambitious agenda. topics. Capt. in a compromise proposal for revisions of MARPOL Annex II. agreement for the use of CDI reports for Port State Control purposes. with maritime authorities in each country. world wide, the Panel was eager to hear the latest news from Venezuela. due to last minute changes in their schedule but Mr. able to summarise the current situation in the country. slowly recovering normal functionality. less operating at full capacity. for a longer period than necessary. double-check and re-confirm existing information and contacts. re-structured both on a functional and geographical level. Managing Director, Dr. previous week. and engaged in discussions to seek clarification on several issues.

Last week the International Maritime Organization came a step closer in the completion of the long awaited international Convention on the control of Harmful Organisms in Ships' Ballast Water. Intertanko participated at the specially convened meeting of the Ballast Water Working Group where over 180 delegates representing member states and NGOs upheld the IMO's spirit of compromise in discussing and agreeing on some of the main principles of this difficult Convention. The nature of the ballast water problem has meant that new ground has had to be broken by the IMO in taking into account absolute levels of control to ensure effective regulations which would cope with the science of biology - past Conventions have mainly focused on the chemical and physical aspects of marine pollution.

In Hong Kong on November 6, INTERTANKO's Environmental Committee Chairman, Doctor Paolo d'Amico, announced the launch of the INTERTANKO Environmental Challenge. A number of major issues and concerns that continue to face the tanker industry, and which are high on the agenda of national governments, environmental organisations, the public at large and the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), have been identified by the INTERTANKO Environmental Committee. The aim is to promote and then reward through extensive worldwide publicity, cost-effective, practical solutions to the identified issues and concerns that represent significant breakthroughs.