The UK Club has received the following update from Oasis P&I Services Company Ltd., regarding breach of low-sulphur fuel requirements in ECA in China.
The MARPOL permitted limit for sulphur content in ships' bunker will be reduced from 3.5% m/m to 0.50% m/m for ships operating outside designated emission control areas
Helen Huang - Senior Claims Executive from Thomas Miller's Hong Kong office provides an introduction to China's marine oil pollution laws with a discussion on the relevant International Conventions, China's domestic laws and Ship Pollution Response Organisations (SPROs).
China implements ship routing and reporting system in the Minjiang river estuary of Fuzhou Port to enhance traffic efficiency and safety.
The UK Club has received the attached circular from the Port of Fujairah Marine Department, regarding a recent ban on open loop scrubbers within the port.
We would like to draw Members' attention to the attached Client Advisory #01-19 from Gallagher Marine Systems (GMS) advising that the National Pollution Fund Center (NPFC) is closed and will remain closed until the current U.S Government shutdown is resolved, and/or the USCG is allocated funding to fulfil its various missions.
The UK Club has received the attached circular from our local correspondents, Huatai Insurance Agency & Consultant Service Ltd, regarding the prohibition of discharging waste water generated by open-loop exhaust gas cleaning systems (Scrubbers) within Emission Control Areas in China.
Members' attention is drawn to the attached update on the 2019 tariffs for pollution fines in Turkish waters
China ECAs - Members are reminded that from 1 January, 2019, all seagoing ships sailing in Chinese territorial waters will need to use fuel with a sulphur content of no higher than 0.5% m/m
The International Chamber of Shipping have produced a guide aimed at Shipping Companies and Crews on preparing for compliance with the 2020 'Global Sulphur Cap'.
Members are referred to the Alert issued by the Association on 21/04/2017 relating to the Panama Canal Advisory A-15-2017: Modification to Fuel Requirements in Canal Waters.
The Club has learnt that Paris MOU, Tokyo MOU, Indian Ocean MOU and Black Sea MOU port state control (PSC) regimes have agreed to focus on the prevention of air pollution by ships during their forthcoming concentrated inspection campaigns (CICs) - 1 September 2018 and 30 November 2018.
Preparing for the 2020 low sulphur limit
19/07/2018
The IMO's Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) set 1st of January 2020 as entry-into-force date of the 0.50% m/m global sulphur in marine fuel cap at its 70th session on 24th - 28th October 2016. In preparation for implementation of the limit, extensive work has been carried out by IMO and recently by its Intersessional Working Group that met during 9th -13th July 2018.
The Maritime and Port authority of Singapore (MPA) has released a port circular regarding the control of smoke emissions by vessels in Port.
Foreign shipowners trading with Venezuela should exercise caution to be certain that any remittances made through the U.S.
Low Sulphur Fuel Requirement from 01.01.2018
21/12/2017
The attached PDF Circular from the UK Club Correspondents details how all Ports within the three ECAs in China will be implementing the Low Sulphur Fuel Requirement from 01.01.2018.
Air pollution from maritime transport is a global environmental concern. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has been working to reduce the harmful impacts of shipping on the environment, but as highlighted in the attached Legal Update, challenges for compliance and enforcement in regards to Sulphur emissions still remain.
From 1 September 2017, in Jiangsu and Zhenjiang provinces, the requirement of all ships at berth (1 hour after arrival and before departure are excluded) using low sulphur bunker (not exceeding 0.5%mm) is geographically expanded from the major ports to all ports within these two provinces.
Recent amendment to South Korea's regulations concerning the imposition and collection of oil spill response costs
Hong Kong will introduce their own regulation to require vessels plying Hong Kong waters to use cleaner fuel from January 2019 to complement the efforts under the PRC's Ministry of Transport's action plan for the Hong Kong, Macau and PRD (Pearl River Delta).