Ships that have not submitted their PCSOPEP at least ninety-six hours in advance of arrival to Canal waters will be classified as non-compliant and will no longer be granted a grace period. Effectively, the six month grace period is no longer valid.

This information was detailed in an advisory recently issued by the Panama Canal Authority (Autoridad Del Canal De Panama) - Advisory to Shipping No. A-19-2007 entitled ‘Compliance with Panama Canal Shipboard Oil Pollution Emergency Plan (PCSOPEP) requirements’.

Ships arriving to Canal waters that have not submitted a PCSOPEP to the ACP will be charged under the ACP’s Tier 3 schedule. Further, the ship will not be placed into the transit queue until a $2,500.00 payment has been guaranteed by ship owners, operators or shipping agent.

Members are encouraged to ensure that the PCSOPEP is prepared at the earliest opportunity if it is anticipated that a ship will be transiting the Panama Canal.

Source of information:

Gallagher Marine Systems, LLC. New Jersey, USA Tel: +1 856 642 2091 Email: info@chgms.com

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The information provided in this bulletin is believed to be correct, but we do not guarantee its completeness or accuracy.