Regulation News

The IMO's Facilitation Committee held its 48th session (FAL 48) from April 8 to 12, in person at IMO Headquarters in London.The Facilitation Committee (FAL) meets annually to deal with matters related to the facilitation of international maritime traffic, including the arrival, stay and departure of ships, persons and cargo from ports. The Committee also addresses electronic business and aims to ensure that the right balance is struck between regulation and the facilitation of international maritime trade.

The discharge of scrubber water from ships out to 22km (12 nautical miles) from the Danish coasts will be prohibited by law. The ban will come into effect on July 1, 2025, for ships with scrubbers in open operation, where the wash water is discharged into the sea. For ships with scrubbers in closed operation, the ban on water discharge will take effect on July 1, 2029.The Ministry of Environment has stated that scrubber water has contributed to excessive levels of a number of heavy metals and tar substances such as lead, cadmium, anthracene and benz(a)pyrene in the marine environment.

The IMO Facilitation Committee will meet in person at IMO Headquarters in London for its 48th session (FAL 48) from April 8 to 12 to discuss issues related to autonomous shipping; prevention of illegal wildlife trafficking on ships; digitalization initiatives and the implementation of the Maritime Single Window and Port Community Systems.The Facilitation Committee (FAL) will continue discussions around regulating commercial vessels that can operate independent of human interaction - Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS).

As the IMO prepares for negotiations on regulations to support net-zero by 2050 at MEPC 81 in March, the World Shipping Council (WSC) has proposed a greenhouse gas pricing mechanism it calls the Green Balance Mechanism.The aim is to provide a new approach to greenhouse gas pricing which makes it possible to close the price gap between fossil fuels and green fuels, at the lowest possible overall cost:• Through the Green Balance Mechanism, fees are taken from fossil fuels and allocated to green fuels used…

Shipping must engage with the decarbonization realities that lie ahead by changing the way it crafts maritime legislation to reflect its place in the interconnected, interdependent world economy, says Eero Lehtovaara, ABB Marine & Ports.ABB Marine & Ports Head of Regulatory & Public Affairs, Eero Lehtovaara has carved out an unusual - and possibly unique - role in the maritime industry over recent years, as a ‘stakeholder’ simultaneously mindful of the perspectives of owners, seafarers…

Spanish police seized eight tonnes of cocaine from Suriname hidden in a container disguised as a power generator in the southern port of Algeciras, tax authorities said on Monday.The haul of cocaine, one of the largest ever intercepted in Spain, was inside a metal structure designed to escape detection from scanners.But customs agents detected a large quantity of stacked goods that practically filled the container, so they forced it open.The drug smugglers had planned a route designed to make the discovery of the cargo's true contents as difficult as possible.

The European Commission will not add any new import bans in its next package of sanctions on Russia, EU diplomats said, as a 13th package proposal takes its final shape.The Commission and European Union member states want to quickly pass a new set of measures to mark the second anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24.Despite calls from some EU countries to ban more Russian exports like aluminium, the Commission will propose a package it hopes will cause minimal…

2024 marks a milestone in the acceleration of digitalization in shipping that has been brought about by the mandatory requirements for a Maritime Single Window.The requirement under the Convention on Facilitation of International Maritime Traffic (FAL) requires governments to use a single digital platform or “Maritime Single Window” to share and exchange information with ships when they call at ports, from January 1, 2024. This streamlines procedures to clear the arrival, stay and departure of ships and greatly enhances the efficiency of shipping worldwide…

Predictability is the aim of every human, company, or society.Humanity simply strives to increase its level of predictability whether as a person, or as a group of people. When humans attain a certain level of predictability, their hope for the future goes up and their level of anxiety goes down.Oddly, conservatives and progressives both strive for predictability, they just do it in different ways. A conservative will say: If nothing changes, then my predictability for the future will go up.

The European Parliament has officially adopted the Berendsen report, an own-initiative report on “building a comprehensive European Port Strategy” (585 in favor, 21 against, 26 abstentions).The European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO) welcomed the support for the strategic and vital role that Europe’s ports play for European society and economy. ESPO supports the Parliament’s plea to further harmonize the measures to strengthen the resilience and protection of Europe’s critical infrastructure, including ports.

Lloyd’s Register (LR) has certified Nova Scotia recycling facility, R.J. MacIsaac (RJMI), according to the requirements of the Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships.RJMI has become first Canadian facility to be issued a Statement of Compliance (SoC) to the Hong Kong Convention for international ship recycling standards, which is scheduled to enter into force in June 2025.RJMI was required to demonstrate that its environmental protection, workforce safety and emergency preparedness systems surpass the stringent conditions of the convention.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) has issued as Pilot Advisory Note advising coastal pilots and pilotage providers about the existence of counterfeit pilot ladders and associated certification.In March 2019, one of AMSA’s Port Marine Surveyors identified a pilot ladder onboard a vessel which appeared to be non-compliant with the pilot transfer requirements. The associated inspection certificate presented at the time of the AMSA inspection, suggested that the ladder…

Malaysia will ban Israeli shipping company ZIM from docking at any of its ports effective in four weeks, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said on Wednesday."This restriction is a response to Israel's actions that violate basic humanitarian principles and international laws," Anwar said in a statement, referring to its military response in Gaza to a deadly incursion in southern Israel in October by Hamas militants.(Reuters - Reporting by Danial Azhar; Editing by Martin Petty)

As risks of cargo diversion to the detriment of EU ports are becoming more and more real with the upcoming entry into force at the beginning of 2024 of EU ETS for shipping, local organizations are voicing their concerns.The Federation of European Port Companies and Private Terminals (FEPORT), European Tugowners’ Association (ETA), European Maritime Pilots’ Association (EMPA) and European Community Association of Ship Brokers and Agents (ECASBA) members are expressing major concerns regarding the lack of real assessment of the EU ETS for shipping related effects on EU ports.

AAL Shipping has claimed a first for becoming the first project heavy lift carrier to publish a carbon surcharge guidance to help its customers prepare for the increased costs related to forthcoming European Union regulations on carbon emissions.The move comes ahead of the extension of the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) to cover the maritime industry, affecting shipping lanes between Europe and the rest of the world from January 1, 2024 with fixed charges for every ton of CO2 emitted.With these additional costs directly attributed to multipurpose cargo operations…

Cargo owners seeking to determine their Scope 3 emission liabilities from the logistics chain must contend with multiple calculation methods from different shipping lines that will affect their costs exposure to the EU ETS for shipping. To resolve this conundrum for its clients, pure car and truck carrier (PCTC) owner and operator UECC has adopted a standardised methodology based on an existing and trusted industry framework.The EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS), set to be phased in for shipping from January 1…

The European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO) has reiterated its support for an emissions trading scheme (ETS) as instrument for greening the shipping sector, but expresses its serious concern about first signs of carbon and business leakage due to the limited scope of the current legislation.For ESPO, the principle to consider calls to some transhipment ports neighbouring the EU as a “port of call” in the counting of the ETS charges is only a partial solution to the problem. ESPO agrees with the identification of Tanger Med and East Port Said as major neighbouring transhipments ports.

A fleet of U.S. offshore wind projects central to President Joe Biden's climate change agenda may not move forward unless his administration eases requirements for subsidies in the year-old Inflation Reduction Act, according to project developers.Norway's Equinor, France's Engie, Portugal's EDP Renewables, and trade groups representing other developers pursuing U.S. offshore wind projects told Reuters they are pressing officials to rewrite the requirements, and warning of lost jobs and investments otherwise."The components needed for our projects to progress simply do not exist in the U.S.

Denmark's Orsted, the world's largest offshore wind farm developer, is prepared to walk away from projects in the U.S. unless the Biden administration guarantees more support, Bloomberg News reported on Tuesday, citing the company's CEO. "We are still upholding a real option to walk away," Orsted CEO Mads Nipper told Bloomberg News in an interview. "But right now, we are still working towards a final investment decision on projects in America." Last week Orsted said it may see U.S.

ClassNK recently released FAQs on the FuelEU Maritime (1st Edition), an overview and necessary preparation for FuelEU Maritime, regulations newly introduced by the European Union (EU) to promote the decarbonization of fuels used on board ships.The EU has set a goal of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by at least 55% by 2030, compared to the 1990 levels, with the aim of achieving net zero emissions by 2050.As part of a comprehensive climate policy package "Fit for 55" for achieving this goal…

The Member Authorities of the Tokyo and the Paris Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) on Port State Control will launch a joint ConcentratedInspection Campaign (CIC) on Fire Safety to create awareness among the ship’s crew and owners about the importance of fire safety measures; and  to verify that the ship complies with fire safety requirements under the relevant IMO instruments.The three-month inspection campaign will commence September 1, 2023 and end November 30, 2023, and will…

Berlin is reviewing its decision to allow China's Cosco to take a stake in one of logistics firm HHLA's three terminals at the Hamburg port, a spokesperson for the German economy ministry said on Wednesday.Responding to a question about the reported classification of Tollerort as critical infrastructure, the spokesperson said it was being determined whether and under what conditions Cosco would be allowed to take a stake in the terminal named Tollerort.The German cabinet gave Cosco the go-ahead to take a 24.9% stake in the port in October last year.German Chancellor Olaf Scholz gave the green

The Poseidon Principles provide a platform for financing shipping’s sustainable future, but the technical guidance underpinning the initiative remains under scrutiny.In July 2023, the International Maritime Organization’s Maritime Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) will consider revising the UN agency’s strategy on greenhouse gas emissions from ships. Moving on from a current target to reduce CO2 emissions from ships by at least 50% by 2050, based on 2008 levels, influential…