Harvey Gulf Outsources IHM to Metizoft
Harvey Gulf has signed a framework agreement with Metizoft on maintenance and quality assurance of the Inventory of Hazardous Materials (IHM).
Vessels with IHM documentation must be maintained at all times and reflect the actual ship sailing, according to the requirements of IMO Guidelines - Ship Recycling; MEPC 197 (62). More and more, shipping companies see the need to comply with the more stringent requirements, said Metizoft’s Chief Marketing Officer Øyvind Sundgot.
"This agreement is one of several benefits of Harvey Gulf`s focus on Health, safety and environment, which also form the basis for system solutions to the company’s vessels,” said Corby Autin, Executive Vice President of QHSSE / HR. “The agreement initially includes 10 vessels in operation, and future newbuildings will be subject to continuous maintenance and quality assurance of documentation at Metizoft. Through the agreement with Metizoft, IHM documentation is maintained according to the current regulations and Metizoft is helping to ensure that we comply with the requirements at all times."
Metizoft noted that more countries have ratified or are at least getting closer to ratifying the Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships, which addresses the requirements for IHM and makes ship owners responsible for compliance.
"A lot has happened in a short time, and this future requirement that will include all of the world's seagoing vessels above 500 tons deadweight at an earlier stage than some anticipated,” Sundgot said. “The European Union formally adopted the requirement on December 30, 2013, with some adjustments based on IMO - Hong Kong Convention. The new EU Ship Recycling Regulation means that EU-flagged vessels of 500 GT and over will be required to carry an Inventory of Hazardous Materials (IHM). When calling at EU ports, vessels from non-EU countries will also be required to carry an IHM identifying all hazardous materials on board. This means that the maintenance and quality assurance of the documentation is strengthened and it will therefore be very important for owners to have control of this."
Inventory of Hazardous Materials (IHM) requirements state that EU-flagged newbuildings are required to have onboard a verified IHM with a Statement of Compliance at the earliest by December 31, 2015 and at the latest by December 31, 2018. Existing EU-flagged vessels are required to have onboard a verified IHM with a Statement of Compliance at the latest by December 31, 2020 (or if the ship is to be recycled, the IHM should be on board from the date when the European list of ship recycling facilities is published, expected to be by the end of 2016). Non-EU-flagged vessels calling at EU ports are also required to have onboard a verified IHM with a Statement of Compliance at the earliest by December 31, 2020.
A known difference is in the material declarations (MD) for the EU SRR, which will include two additional hazardous materials. PFOS (Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid) shall be prohibited. PFOS is chronically toxic, injurious to reproduction, carcinogenic, toxic to aquatic organisms and widely distributed in the global environment. In the marine industry, it can be found in fire-fighting foams of the type AFFF on vessels carrying inflammable fluids and those with helicopter decks, rubber and plastic materials (i.e., cable sheaths, PVC flooring, gaskets and seals) and coatings (i.e., paint). HBCDD (Brominated Flame Retardant) is to be listed in the IHM. HBCDD is very persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic to aquatic organisms; it causes long-term adverse effects on the aquatic environment. It is classified and labelled as dangerous for the environment. In the marine industry, this can be found in expanded polystyrene (EPS) used for cryogenic insulation, such as for liquefied gas tanks (LGT), refrigerated areas, thermal insulation boards (i.e., foam materials), rubber and plastic materials (i.e., cable sheaths, PVC flooring, gaskets, seals) and coatings (i.e., paint).
"There are still a lot of shipping companies that do not know how to handle this, but there is no need to wonder anymore. We have proven on behalf of several major players in the industry that we can handle this. We want to meet the requirements on behalf of ship owners," Sundgot said.
