Industry Guidance on Compliance with the Sulphur ECA Requirements

The preparation of cargo holds for the next intended carriage is a critical operation which requires careful planning and execution; this article considers a number of legal issues which may arise, including terms commonly used in charterparties to describe the cleanliness of cargo holds, the consequences of failing to comply with such terms, potentially resulting in off-hire claims and damages, and the role of the independent surveyor.

Violation of the California’s Ocean-Going Vessel At Berth Regulations Results In almost $2m million settlement.

From 1 January 2020, the new 0.5% m/m global limit for sulphur in fuel used on board ships comes into effect. Parties in the bunker chain i.e. those involved in the production, distribution, storage, handling and use of bunker fuels have expressed concerns over the practical implementation of this new global limit, a substantial drop from the current 3.5% m/m. A Joint Industry Project (JIP) was therefore established to raise awareness of the issues which might arise.

The International Group and CINS have issued revised joint industry guidance on the carriage of Calcium Hypochlorite by sea (first publication in May 2016) that now takes account of the package limit of 100lb drums under US measurement as well as the previously stated package limit of 45kg net weight.