Members will be aware from the Club's legal briefing on stricter air pollution regulations and subsequent updates that from 1st January 2015 vessels trading in designated areas would have to use fuel on-board with a sulphur content of no more than 0.10%.
The US Coast Guard and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are actively enforcing the North American and US Caribbean Emissions Control Areas (ECA). To clarify the penalties that may be imposed on vessels that violate the ECAs the Environmental Protection Agency has published a "Policy for Violation by Ships of the Sulfur in Fuel Standard and Related Provisions."
The policy sets out the methodology the EPA will use to assess civil penalties for violations of the pollution regulations involving the North American and US Caribbean Emission Control Areas.
Members are advised that effective 12:00pm, Thursday 22 July, South Australia transitioned from a 'low risk' state to a ‘medium risk’ state, advance warning of a FIC has also been given which will run in Australia from 1 August to 31 September 2021 to determine the level of compliance with the safety of navigation requirements of International Conventions and familiarity of the masters and officers with their processes for ensuring safety of navigation.
The UK P&I Club recently held the 16th in our series of Live Webinars, this time in collaboration with the Mission to Seafarers which focussed on Crew Health matters and in particular mental wellbeing.
